City draws up plan to axe sports facilities

SOME of the Capital's sports facilities are facing the axe after it emerged that the firm that manages them is to suffer another massive funding cut.

• Efforts to save Edinburgh Leisure crches from closure eventually failed

Edinburgh Leisure will see its budget shrink by four per cent - 347,000 - from next April under proposals seen by the Evening News.

It will be the second successive year that the company has faced a huge cut in its funding. It had to close its six crches earlier this year to make the saving.

• Are the city's sports facilities fair game when it comes to council cuts? Vote here

Council officials have warned that the new cut, which would come into force next April, "is likely to lead to facility closures and inspire public protest".

News of the cut comes as Edinburgh Leisure continues the hunt for a new chief executive, who is expected to receive a salary of more than 80,000.

The Edinburgh Leisure cut is one of dozens of savings totalling 16 million that councillors will be asked to approve at a meeting next month.

Many of the cuts are back office and management savings, but they also include proposals that will affect frontline services.

Councillor Gordon Buchan, the Conservatives' city culture and leisure spokesman, said: "The fear I have is that one of the more rural facilities like Kirkliston could be targeted, or one of the smaller facilities in the city centre.

"We need to do something to preserve sport, leisure and culture facilities and we need to look at doing things in different ways. Just closing down a centre and cutting here and there is not the answer. We need to look at different ways of providing them."

The closure of the last four Edinburgh Leisure crches was the main front-line saving after this year's 349,000 budget reduction. Staff were also given a reduced pay deal.

Edinburgh Leisure's interim chief executive John Comiskey said: "As with any organisation which receives an element of its income from the public purse, Edinburgh Leisure will be required to change its business plans to take account of the proposed government funding cuts next year. We will review all of our options carefully whilst always maintaining our commitment to providing excellent sport and leisure facilities and services to the people of Edinburgh."

Other cuts proposed by officials include not replacing director of corporate services Jim Inch, who is due to retire in January, paving the way for a merger of the corporate services and finance departments.

Reducing the number of management posts will save 4.6m. Back office cuts total 9.7m, while service reductions or service withdrawals amount to another 1.8m of savings.

They are just the first batch of savings, with more controversial options to be presented to councillors later this year.

Cllr Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the council, said: "The package is not as it was originally portrayed. It was spun as a deletion of senior management but it is much more than that; there's a deletion of junior posts and even some service areas."

Council leader Jenny Dawe said: "These officer recommendations highlight the scale and severity of the challenge, and councillors will have to critically examine the proposals and any potential impact. "The reality is that we will have some very difficult decisions to take and this is only going to be the start of a process which will affect every area of the council. That's why we're undertaking an engagement exercise with the public so they can help shape the future of services."