PROTESTORS will once again be at County Hall as councillors inside discuss the issue of Cornwall’s leisure centres.

The Friends of Wadebridge Leisure Centre will be demonstrating tomorrow against the proposed closure of four leisure centres and pools – some of which could shut as early as March of next year, unless alternative groups come forward with plans to manage them.

The group is also protesting against the refusal by vice-chair of the Council Jordan Rowse and leader Linda Taylor to allow a motion to be heard and voted upon at tomorrows meeting.

The motion had called for all 87 of Cornwall’s councillors to be able to have a meaningful vote on the future of the leisure centres. Cllr Taylor had argued that delegating a vote to the full council would be against the Council’s constitution, and accused those behind the motion of political gamesmanship. But those who proposed it say they simply feel it is vital that councillors representing every area in the county should have a meaningful say in the leisure centre question.

Meanwhile the protestors who’ll be in Truro tomorrow feel that it is wrong that Cornwall Council has approved almost half a million pounds in subsidies to Eastern Airways (at Newquay airport) “at a time when local communities desperately need this money to save leisure centres”.

“We are all united in the need to put pressure on the Cornwall Council to do the right thing by its taxpayers and to make the correct, long-term decisions on our behalf, looking at the bigger picture and the wider implications across Cornwall,” said a Friends of Wadebridge Leisure Centre spokesperson.

“Public health and wellbeing is at stake here and we are already facing a mental health crisis in the aftermath of the pandemic, so allowing sports centres to close whilst subsidising barely used flights, will only exacerbate the growing problem and burden medical professionals and the NHS further.”

Tomorrow’s full council meeting is set to start at 10.30am and can be watched by members of the public via a webcast from the Cornwall Council website.

A petition started by independent Wadebridge councillor Robin Moorcroft, calling for all 87 councillors to be able to vote on the future of the leisure centres, has gained more than 5,000 signatures, and will be discussed.