Your Labour councillors were very disappointed to hear of the plans submitted to remove the climbing wall from the Link Centre and change the use of the multi-sport halls to be exclusively used for a trampolining centre. As the council's Tory administration signed over the management of all the borough's leisure centres to GLL, a not for profit company, the council has no say over this decision. We have been contacted by a huge number of unhappy residents and we are really concerned that GLL aren't entering into any meaningful consultation on this decision. Whilst we understand the need for the council to reduce costs in the current funding climate for local government and agreed with some of the ideas behind the transfer to GLL, we warned of the potential consequences of the deal. These consequences included the possibility of GLL stopping providing some of the minority sports such as the climbing wall, whilst they continue to offer more lucrative activities such as gyms and pools. The clear downside to this is that there are plenty of private providers of gyms and swimming pools in the town and we could easily see a situation where Swindon has an abundance of gyms but no specialist facilities for more minority sports. Swindon taxpayers have invested in these more minority sports for generations, but at the stroke of a pen, the council's Tory administration risked it all as they were to incompetent to put in provisos for the minority sports to be protected.

It was hugely discouraging that GLL didn't send a representative to the recent West Swindon Locality meeting, and they haven't had a representative at the meeting since the deal was signed. In stark contrast it was a dispiriting experience to see the Tory councillors present trying to defend the deal and the shocking lack of control that they have. We will be holding the administration to account over their bungled decision to sign over the leisure centres, and putting pressure on GLL to reconsider and fully consult with local people before making decisions.

Jim Robbins Councillor for Mannington & Western Ward Swindon