Falkirk Council: Use it or lose it plea from those trying to save Bo'ness Recreation Centre

The “rec” won a vital reprieve last week, when Falkirk councillors agreed to move it to the third phase of its strategic property review, which will see the last of 133 buildings either close or transfer out of council ownership.

Campaigners Dorothy Ostacchini and Robert Stuart were delighted with the result, which came shortly after they had organised a public meeting attended by more than 400 people.

But they are in no doubt that there is a lot of work ahead to persuade Falkirk Council – which is facing a budget deficit of £64 million over the next five years – that the centre should stay open.

Falkirk Council says it is spending around £900,000 a year to keep the facility open – a cost it simply can’t afford now as its budget is squeezed.

But the campaigners say the figures don’t show how the centre is a vital part of the Bo’ness community, which is growing rapidly as hundreds of new houses are being built.

“What I would say is that this is management by spreadsheet,” said Robert. “There will always be a cost for a facility like this but the centre is vital to the community.”

Dorothy says people need look no further than Falkirk Council’s own equality and poverty impact assessment to realise the impact closure would have on the most vulnerable members of the Bo’ness community.

Many of the people who use the facilities have a Go Card, which means they have some protected characteristics – such as age and disability – that must be considered.

Not only do people use it the centre to keep physically fit, it’s also vital for many as a place to socialise.

And with poor public transport links, there are concerns that travelling to Grangemouth is not a feasible option.

Falkirk Council’s figures show that Bo’ness has much lower usage figures than other places and a much higher cost per visit.

It believes that financially it makes sense to move the facilities to Bo’ness Academy, next door.

But there are concerns that there is no detail on how it will be adapted to accommodate all of the people who currently use the rec – including school pupils, who regularly use the centre for activities including swimming.

Campaigners are also concerned that the school is not paying to use the centre, which they think could skew the figures.

Dorothy said: “We welcome the pupils using the centre, of course, but the numbers have to be recorded properly.”

The campaigners also say that a lack of investment in the centre over many years has had an impact, while the Mariner Centre in Camelon has had a new soft play built and Grangemouth an immersive cycle studio.

Dorothy said: “We are not asking for special treatment for Bo’ness. We wish other communities well – but we want to be treated fairly. The Mariner Centre and Grangemouth both also have large subsidies to stay open.

“It was said that Bo’ness should close because it is old, but actually it’s two years newer than the Grangemouth centre.”

At last week’s council meeting, the Labour group asked for the centre to be moved to the third phase of the SPR, while the Conservative group successfully passed an amendment to get more information before moving to the next stage.

Council officers have now been asked for a breakdown of income and expenditure and a detailed business plan of how income can be maximised.

The Conservatives also want to know exactly how the facilities will be replaced by using the school, including reassurances that older people in particular will be able to use facilities during the day.

In the meantime, local people who care about the centre staying open are being urged to keep using it.

Following the public meeting, more than 20 people came forward to help with the campaign.

The first step is trying to contact the many clubs and groups that currently use the centre to make sure that all of the usage is being recorded properly.

“We’ve won the battle – but we haven’t won the war,” said Robert.