Falkirk Council: More than 4000 people sign petition to save Bo'ness Recreation Centre

The final petition will be handed to Falkirk Council today (Wednesday) by Independent councillor for Bo’ness and Blackness, Ann Ritchie.

The handover will be made just before a council meeting to discuss 133 properties facing closure or transfer out of council ownership, including ‘the rec’ in Bo’ness.

While the decision to close or transfer all 133 facilities has been made in principle, the councillors still have to look at the results of a consultation with members of the public.

That consultation has shown that much of the concern at the proposals centres round a handful of properties, with Grangemouth Stadium top of the list, followed by Bo’ness Recreation Centre.

A total of 3,607 people completed the survey, with 983 responding about Grangemouth Stadium and 711 in response to plans to close Bo’ness Rec.

Last week, Cllr Ritchie also helped to organise two protests to show the strength of feeling locally about plans to close the centre.

A crowd of people of all ages and backgrounds came together on Thursday evening and then again on Sunday afternoon to show councillors just how much ‘the rec’ means to them.

Rugby players, divers, swimmers, gym users and many more brought banners and placards to send a message to the council that a town the size of Bo’ness needs a facility that makes health and fitness accessible for the entire community.

A report to councillors shows that 55 per cent of the health and fitness users have a Falkirk Council Go Card – a concession card aimed at people on low incomes.

The people who use the centre say these are the people who will be worst hit by the closure as many are unable to drive to the next nearest council facility in Grangemouth, while the bus service is unreliable.

But other clubs are also based at the centre, including Bo’ness Rugby Club which has raised £50,000 for equipment to improve the pitch it leases.

Falkirk Council says the subsidy for the rec is more than £800,000, with an average subsidy per user of more than £7. With a funding gap of £64 million, the council says it can no longer afford this. Its aim is for as many facilities as possible to be taken on by communities through a community asset transfer.

The sheer size of Bo’ness Recreation Centre means this is something that even large, well organised groups think would be very difficult.

As well as the swimming pool, gym and rugby pitches there are other sports halls and a cafe – there’s even a social club and hairdressers on site.

And while the school facilities are being touted as a possible replacement, centre user Dorothy Ostacchini points out that the school currently uses the rec’s games hall regularly.

She said: “The proposals for transfer or mitigations for closure are not realistic or feasible – and they are deeply unfair to our communities.

“Falkirk Council wants to create healthy communities! They have a whole level of vulnerable users, therefore they want to close it!”

Those at the protest also say that with hundreds of new homes being built in the Bo’ness area over the next few years, it’s not good enough to take away one of the few facilities in the town.

Cllr Ritchie and Councillor David Aitchison, who also attended, believe the loss of the facility would be a disaster for the town and have called on their fellow members to think twice before they close a building that means so much to so many.

“It’s a very much needed and well used facility in the local community,” said Councillor Aitchison. “It’s a lifeline for older people in particular and given the lack of bus services locally, taking it away is a travesty.”

Councillor Ritchie added: “Bo’ness is a town, not a village, and to have this facility closing down is just not acceptable.”