Please help in the quest to have a local Clackmannanshire leisure facility with a swimming pool opened as soon as possible for the benefit of all the county residents. 

After opening in 1987,  Clackmannanshire Council and its councillors decided to close the Leisure Bowl on Thursday 11th February 2021.  The council closed the leisure centre with no clear plan set out to replace the health and well-being amenities for the local residents.

Clackmannanshire now has no swimming pool in the county. We understand the only county in the UK not have one. 

Despite the council being aware of increasing maintenance costs for the aging leisure bowl for many years, Clackmannanshire Council and its councillors failed in their attempts to put in place a satisfactory maintenance plan to keep the amenity open whilst plans for a new leisure centre were completed. Since closing the Leisure Bowl, to the detriment of the local public, the council have failed to make any effective and efficient inroads to plan and build a new facility much needed by the local residents of the county.

As we emerge from the Covid pandemic, this situation created by Clackmannanshire Council is seriously affecting the lives and well-being of all ages and stages across our community and is resulting in people missing out on even the most basic life skills and not being able to learn to swim. 

In order to change this period of non-performance from the council we are raising this petition to the local people in order for them to unite together to show the strong support for the immediate requirement of a local leisure centre as a key amenity in the centre of the local Clackmannanshire community. 

There is a population of circa 52,000 people in Clackmannanshire and an electorate of circa 40,000 people and should this petition show clear support for this issue amongst a strong proportion of the local population, we would expect the local council and its councillors to act immediately to provide the public with a leisure centre to meet the needs of the local people. If changes to council management and personnel are needed then we would ask that is consulted with immediate effect.

To highlight the above issue, local councillors promised a temporary pool for the public in January 2023 over the last 18 months, only for plans to be shelved earlier this month at the last minute. Whether this was the right or wrong decision, it again highlights the council's inability to manage this project correctly.  Meanwhile all this precious time has been lost working on the long term solution which seemed to have been hidden in the background. This is a total disaster for all the local residents and so far no apology and no clear forward vision from here has been offered by the council and its councillors. 

In the meantime, Berwick, Morpeth & Carlisle are all getting £20m+ leisure centres built for their local communities so we can't see how there are any excuses here. Stirling managed it years ago with The Peak which is an outstanding facility. 

Clear action is needed immediately and we would argue this needs a real shake-up within the local council. 

Whether the end result is a renovated Leisure Bowl or a brand new leisure centre with a strong level of amenity in a highly accessible location for local people, the local community need this and once provided will be highly relieved and will be able to go about their daily lives in a physically and mentally better way.