David Rundle: "radical change" ahead for Oxford's leisure centres

9.09.00am GMT Wed 6th Feb 2008

Cllrs David Rundle and Stephen Tall

My Headington ward colleague, Cllr David Rundle, has two unenviable tasks: being the City Council's deputy leader, and responsible for Oxford's leisure centres. He's written to The Oxford Times to address how the Lib Dems are dealing with the terrible legacy of two decades of Labour neglect of our leisure centres:

***

Dear Sir,

Your lead letter discusses a topic which should concern us all: Oxford's leisure centres. It matters to both the many people - one in every four - who use the centres and all other council taxpayers who subsidise every visit made.

We shouldn't hide from the truth: for years, the City Council's leisure facilities - like so much else - suffered from under-investment. They were slammed for being high cost and low value. A few years ago there were even rumours, reported in your paper, that Temple Cowley Pool would close.

Since we in the Liberal Democrats have taken on the task of tackling this legacy, we have invested in Temple Cowley Pool. A new facility has opened in Barton and we intend to improve it further. We are also getting to grips with the larger issues of improving the value of the leisure service.

There are huge challenges. Some facilities, like the Ice Rink, are coming to the end of their natural life. I have made no secret of the fact that we in the LibDems have ambitious plans for the future of leisure in Oxford. We want to see a new Ice Rink, combined with a new swimming pool so that we can maximise energy efficiency. We also want a different facility, a family-friendly pool, accessible in the south-east of the City.

None of this will happen without investment. We must think innovatively about how to raise money and ensure the centres are best run. Let me be clear: we should aim to be able to compete with the private sector, not become part of it. Our centres will work best when they have full community engagement in their running. Achieving that will demand radical change in the City Council, but Oxford deserves nothing less.

David Rundle

Deputy Leader (Lib Dem), Oxford City Council

***