Kirklees Council has agreed to permanently close Dewsbury Sports Centre in the face of widespread opposition.

Cabinet green-lit plans to shut the centre for good despite calls from the public and local councillors to reconsider. This approval means that the council-owned ‘wet-side’ of the facility can be demolished, with the intention of turning the space into a car park or giving it another alternative use.

While this was the preferred option, it still comes with a £3.5m price tag. On top of this, the local authority will now have to get out of a 125-year lease on the dry-side facilities which could also incur a “significant financial cost”, according to the Cabinet report.

Later in the same meeting, Cabinet agreed to give £9.8m extra cash to Huddersfield’s George Hotel, leaving a sour taste for councillors whose wards would be impacted by the sports centre closure, with this a point of contention throughout.

Speaking at the town hall, Dewsbury West ward councillor, Cllr Tanisha Bramwell (Independent) described the closure as “another act of negligence” from the Labour Cabinet.

The Cabinet report set out six options that had been considered for the future of the sports centre including re-opening the dry-side only, transferring the asset to the community, and rebuilding a brand new facility, with this option estimated to cost up to £34m. Permanent closure was favoured due to a number of constraints and financial pressures.

Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration, Cllr Graham Turner said he ‘hoped’ a new facility could be created at some point in the future, though it was “impossible to predict” when that could be done.