Leisure centres to close creches

Parents put their children into the creches while they are at the gym

Six leisure centre creche facilities in Edinburgh are to be closed as part of a cost cutting programme.

The measures are being taken by Edinburgh Leisure, which runs sporting facilities for the city council, as part of efforts to save £300,000.

There are creches at eight Edinburgh leisure centres, which attracted 18,500 visits in 2006-07.

The Royal Commonwealth Pool and Ainslie Park Leisure Centre are the two creches which will remain running.

Edinburgh Leisure has 24 creche staff of whom many will be given the opportunity to be redeployed within the organisation.

Savings had to be made following an annual council grant of £7.7m coupled with rising utility costs.

If it had received rises in line with inflation from the £7m it got in 1998, it would have received more than £9m.

Other changes include reducing a small proportion of sports development activities across the city, putting external research on hold for 12 months, amending how it delivers services offered at Queensferry Recreation Centre.

It will also withdraw support for the annual Festival of Bowls tournament.

This has been an especially difficult time, particularly given the high regard in which these services, and the staff that deliver them, are held by our customers and by us Keith Jackson Edinburgh Leisure

Edinburgh City Council has previously said it faced a "serious financial situation" in term of ongoing council budget restraints and efforts to address its overspend.

Edinburgh Leisure's chief executive Keith Jackson said: "This has been an especially difficult time, particularly given the high regard in which these services, and the staff that deliver them, are held by our customers and by us.

"That said, our commitment to working with the city council, and others, towards helping the people of Edinburgh to lead a healthier, happier lifestyle remains as strong as ever.

"The money promised by the council to the refurbishment of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Meadowbank and Glenogle Swim Centre, together with our own investments, underlines a commitment to making our city the most active in Europe by 2020."

Officials said the required ratio of children aged under two to creche staff was 3:1, making it a "particularly labour-intensive and costly, service to deliver".

Creches at Craiglockhart Tennis and Sports Centre, Drumbrae Leisure Centre, Gracemount Leisure Centre, Kirkliston Leisure Centre, Leith Victoria, Swim Centre and Portobello Swim Centre are to be closed.

A date of when they will be shut has not yet been set.