SHADSWORTH Leisure Centre is to close permanently from January 1, 2019.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leisure boss Cllr Damien Talbot has approved proposals to close the dry side of the centre after attempts to find another organisation to take it over failed.

The pool at Shadsworth Centre, which first opened in 1974, closed for the final time on February 1 and now the rest of the centre will shut down.

Council bosses say the centre would cost more than £141,000 to run this year while bringing in just £19,000.

According to council figures, a total of 274 individual customers have used the centre over the last seven months, including the block bookings.

A public consultation began in August in the hopes of identifying organisations interested in keeping the centre going at no cost to the council.

But just four people attended a public meeting and only one expression of interest was received proposing to take on the operation of the centre.

The proposal was found to be over-optimistic after an assessment and financial analysis and so it did not go ahead.

Cllr Talbot said: “The council has continued to operate the dry side facilities since the closure of the swimming pool. A small number of casual staff and one contracted member of staff are currently employed to supervise the use of the dry side facilities including the sports hall, fitness gym, squash court, school gym and dance studio.

“Despite lower staffing costs, significant building expenditure remains including repairs and maintenance and utilities.

“In addition the cost of rates has remained unchanged at £27,000 pa.

“Since the pool closed, the usage of the sports hall, squash courts and gym has declined significantly in recent months. Weekly income from casual use is circa £150 and with income from block bookings, the total annual income is projected to be £19,000.

“Despite the closure of the pool and its reduced operating costs, Shadsworth Leisure Centre in 2018/19 continues to create a budget pressure of £122,300 which cannot be managed by the portfolio.”

Of the nine block bookings at the centre when the consultation began, three have already moved to alternative facilities in the borough.

Cllr Talbot said there would be no redundancies as a result of the closure.