Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has released the results of his survey on North West Durham’s cultural centres and sporting facilities.
Richard secured and held an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on “Cultural Centres and Sporting Facilities in North West Durham” last week. Many constituents had contacted Richard about sporting facilities and cultural centres before the pandemic, and the lack of local support from Durham County Council (DCC) locally.
In his speech, Richard highlighted:
- Consett Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre: closed since before the pandemic due to defects including poor electrical fittings and leaks, despite it being just 5 years old. Richard has previously written to Durham County Council about the ongoing closure of Consett Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre which you can read about here.
- Crook Swimming Pool, which closed in 2011 and was demolished in 2012.
- Richard also mentioned: Durham Dales Hockey Club have been struggling to find a pitch and Consett Rugby Club as well as local football clubs in Tow Law, Crook, Consett and Willington also faced closures and raised concerns to Richard about their futures. Richard has written to the Minister for Sport about local football clubs and you can read more about this here.
Speaking in the adjournment debate, Richard said “no new services and no new facilities” are being given to North West Durham in Labour run Durham County Council’s £63 million ‘Leisure Plan’, which you can read about here. He also pointed out that people in North West Durham “feel left behind” and stated he will be working with sporting facilities and cultural facilities across North West Durham to ensure that they are all able to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so. You can read more about the debate here.
To coincide with the debate, Richard launched a survey on North West Durham’s cultural centres and leisure centres. Hundreds of constituents took part and Richard has now revealed the results.
When asked if they had used local leisure centres:
- 58% of people have used Consett Leisure Centre
- 30% of people have used Crook Leisure Centre
- 24% of people have used Wolsingham Leisure Centre
- 22% of people have used Stanhope Open Air Swimming Pool
- 21% of people have used Willington Leisure Centre
35% of people have used two or more local leisure facilities.
When asked how important local leisure facilities are, 62% of respondents said that, on a scale of 1-5, local leisure facilities are a 5 out of 5 for importance, with 30% saying that they would give local leisure facilities a 4 out of 5 for importance.
54% of people stated that they support Richard’s campaign for a new swimming pool in Crook with the remaining 46% saying they do not live close enough to Crook to be affected by campaign.
76% of respondents stated that the closure of Consett Leisure Centre after it being open for just five years is ‘unacceptable’, with a huge 91% of people stating that Durham County Council’s refusal to give North West Durham money for new facilities is unacceptable.
When asked about local cultural facilities, 50% of people have visited Killhope Mining Museum and 64% of people have visited Consett Empire Theatre. 29% of people have visited both. 84% of people stated that the importance of North West Durham’s local cultural facilities is a 4 out of 5 and above in terms of importance. 67% of people stated that Durham County Council are not doing enough to support local cultural institutions and programmes.
Durham County Council’s management of local leisure centres was described as ‘appalling’ with people stating that they were shocked that Consett Leisure Centre has been forced to close after just five years of being open. Constituents stated that Durham County Council focuses only on ‘urban’ areas like Durham City Centre and that it leaves North West Durham with ‘no facilities’ for music and arts. Constituents stated that they want to see more family friendly sport areas like walkways and bike paths through the constituency, as well as outdoor sporting areas like running tracks. Constituents also stated that more venues spaces are needed for artists and exhibitions and that North West Durham would benefit from more art galleries and music events.
Commenting, Richard said:
“It’s clear that the majority of my constituents place huge value on our local cultural institutions and leisure centres. Whether it’s for family activities, children’s sport, keeping fit or enjoying the history that North West Durham has to offer, people from across the constituency are hugely supportive of our local facilities.
“It’s also clear that my constituents feel extremely let down by Durham County Council – 91% of people said that Durham County Council not giving our area money for new facilities despite a £63 million investment is unacceptable. People are fed up of being ignored and not having access to the facilities they deserve.
“I’m going to continue to campaign on this issue until North West Durham gets the funding it needs to improve its leisure and cultural facilities and our area continues to level up. I want to thank every single one of my constituents who took part in the survey – the comments and feedback help me shape the work I do and ensure I can represent your views on the national stage.”
To hear more about the work that Richard is doing for North West Durham, you can sign up here or input your details in the form on this page.