Lib Dems pledge to protect the Sports Centre

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Gavin James has backed the 10,000+ people petitioning Basingstoke and Deane Council about the future of Basingstoke Sport Centre in Festival Place.

Councillor Gavin James said: "This is an extraordinary situation, where we have so many people petitioning the Council and it requires an extraordinary response."

"Vague promises from the Conservative of future support with few details and no guarantees will not be enough to secure the future of this vital and valuable asset for the people of Basingstoke and Deane. We've had enough of being fobbed off. Detailed and well supported evidence had been ignored for too long."

"It would bad enough if this threat to the Sports Centre was coming for purely commercial reasons, but incredibly it is being subsidised by the Council."

"I have repeatedly expressed my concern that the whole 'business class hotel on Basing View' proposal is a poor deal for the Council. It will result in the Council and therefore residents potentially missing out on millions of pounds of income."

"If the Liberal Democrats get places in the Council Cabinet after the May Elections, we will seek to stop the proposal going ahead."