Apology call as political fall out rumbles on among Calderdale councillors over new Halifax leisure centre and pool project debate

Calderdale Council’s Conservative group said its leader Coun Steven Leigh is seeking an apology from Labour councillor Josh Fenton-Glynn for a statement he published on social media.

The issue follows a claim made by Coun Leigh (Con, Ryburn) at the full meeting of Calderdale Council that the Government had given the council £12.2 million of levelling-up funding solely for the swimming pool, and allowed it to move it into a leisure centre project.

Coun Fenton-Glynn (Lab, Calder) said in his Facebook post this was untrue and that the council was given money for a “shovel ready” leisure centre project and nothing else.

Making their apology call, the Conservatives argued that a Government document published in October and titled “Levelling Up Fund: first round successful bidders” included the information quoted by Coun Leigh as “Local Authority: Calderdale, Bid Name: Halifax Swimming Pool, Bid Value: £12,228,568.00.”

He was therefore requesting Coun Fenton-Glynn retracted his comments and additionally requesting apology from council Deputy Leader Coun Jane Scullion alleging the council’s Cabinet had denied that the funding for the swimming pool had been written down anywhere, and a further apology for implying Coun Leigh was misleading the council.

Coun Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said she was “mystified” by the discussion at council as her understanding was that it was a new Leisure Centre incorporating a swimming pool that had been the subject of the Levelling Up bid, and also her understanding there was never any indication there was a bid or an award for a swimming facility only.

But she said she could see where misunderstandings might have arisen.

The council had previously published a summary of the bid for Halifax Leisure Centre which clearly stated the proposal was to replace both end of life assets – the other was closure of Halifax Swimming Pool – on the North Bridge site, said Coun Scullion.

The project title with which the council applied for the government fund and which is in its memorandum of understanding with government is “New Halifax Leisure Centre”.

However in the published spreadsheet of projects to which Coun Leigh referred the formal bid name as submitted to government was not used, but a truncated reference to Halifax Swimming Pool was made as a summary line in the spreadsheet list, she said.

“I can see why this has led to some confusion,” said Coun Scullion.

She said Coun Fenton-Glynn was correct in his description of what the council had applied for and Coun Leigh was correct in that in one document on the government’s website it was described as a swimming pool, albeit incorrectly.

Feelings run high at full council, and following exchanges and rebuttals on social media are also part of political “rough and tumble” these days, said Coun Scullion, and in those circumstances she did not feel it appropriate for elaborate formal apologies to be made.

Coun Fenton-Glynn insisted that what he said was correct and he was loathe to respond further.

The debate at the full council following the decision to “pause” building of a new multi-million pound leisure centre incorporating a swimming pool at North Bridge, Halifax.

Cabinet says all leisure options are being reviewed to see what is possible to achieve.