ACCORDING to Bury MBC's own "Best Value" policy, service users and the wider local community can expect:
More involvement, for example through consultation, user surveys, discussion groups;
Better services, that is services that better meet the needs of all users;
Consultation with local people on whether the authority is achieving "best value" and on whether specific services are meeting needs.
So where then was the consultation with the regular squash players at Goshen Leisure Centre when the decision was taken to close the one remaining court with immediate effect?
These regular centre users, many of whom have used the facility for several years, were informed unofficially only last week that this court was to be closed, in order to provide yet more space for gymnastics (this should provide enough extra space for the odd forward roll or cartwheel, but precious little else in such a confined space). Squash enthusiasts had only just come to terms with the loss of one court for the use of trampolining!
The opportunity for a balanced debate on the use of the remaining facility was denied us, in spite of the hollow promises made about Bury's commitment to consultation. I ask:
Who made the decision?
What was the reasoning behind the decision?
When was the decision taken, and why was there such little notice?
Do the powers-that-be admit that their commitment to real consultation has been sadly lacking in this instant?
Have Bury MBC, in fact, breached their own policy?
JOHN MEADOWS,
Birch Grove,
Holcombe Brook, Bury.
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