Agenda item

To receive the views of clubs and organisations that would be impacted by the proposed temporary closure of all facilities at Tides for nine months from 1 April 2025 if decision CAB74 were to be implemented.

This agenda item has been added by the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor T J Bartlett.

The Chairman welcomed the following representatives of sports clubs and organisations that used the Tides Leisure Centre facilities to discuss the impact on them of the proposed temporary closure of all facilities.

Ron Condon

·         That he had looked at alternative facilities in Whitfield and Sandwich for his group to use but none were as suitable as the facilities at Deal.

·         He asked that as the Sports Hall and Tennis Centre were separate from the pool, that if there were the will, efforts should be made to keep them open.

·         He acknowledged that while it might be difficult or inconvenient it was important for the health of his retired badminton players to have access to the facilities. 

Peter Tullo

·         Peter Tullo was the Chair of the Walmer Lawn Tennis Association and Croquet Club.

·         He recognised that there were outdoor tennis courts that could be used as an alternative to the facilities at Tides.

·         He advised that tennis was a growing sport and that the indoor facility at Tides was unusual and an asset as it facilitated indoor coaching. The Club had 150 junior players and 4 professional coaches.

Kelly Siadatan

·         Kelly Siadatan was a coach at East Kent ACRO. Members were advised that the club was 40 years old and had been using the facilities at Tides for 20 years.

·         The club had competitions in April 2025 and the three months’ notice given of the closure was insufficient. The club had not been able to find a suitable alternative venue due to their needs to store a lot of equipment. It was a worry that the club could fold without suitable facilities.

·         At every stage in the project the need for a new pool had been discussed but at no point had they been advised that the closure of the sports hall was a consideration. They had discussed potential interim arrangements but were given little notice of the closure with the Council not advising them until the decision the previous week.

·         The parents of the children at East Kent ACRO were relying on her to find a solution.

·         An email from East Kent ACRO was read out by the Head of Corporate Services and Democracy on behalf of the club.

The Chairman invited Councillor C D Zosseder, the Portfolio Holder for Community and Corporate Property to speak. Councillor Zosseder raised the following points:

·         To welcome the opportunity for the public to speak at Overview and Scrutiny Committee on this matter.

·         To explain that the delay in contacting many of the sports clubs and organisations was due to delay in obtaining their details from Your Leisure who operated Tides and held their details rather than Dover District Council.

·         That the affected staff at Tides had to be spoken to before the Council had been able to speak to the sports clubs and organisations. Community Services had been contacting the groups to speak to them once the Council had their contact information from Your Leisure.

·         It would be part of any operator’s contract that the Tennis Centre and Sports Hall must reopen in January 2026 following the closure.

The Members of the Committee raised the following points:

·         To thank the speakers representing the sports clubs and organisation.

·         To express concern that some of the clubs had been told that the facilities would be kept open and the limited notice that had been given of the closure of the facilities. In response, the Strategic Director (Place and Environment) advised that when the consultation had been undertaken this had been on the understanding that the facilities would remain open. However, this situation had subsequently changed.

·         Councillor C A Vinson advised that residents had contacted him over the closure. He had been struck by the high level of use at the facility and felt that it was a facility valued by the community. He emphasised that no councillor was elected to close down sports halls.

·         Councillor J P Loffman stated that all Deal councillors wanted the best outcome in respect of Tides and that they had the best interests of the sports clubs and organisations at heart.

Members thanked the sports clubs and organisations that had spoken at the meeting and reassured them that the views had been listened to in respect of the closure of the Tennis Centre and Sports Hall and the impact it would have on them.

Councillor C A Vinson moved, and it was duly seconded by Councillor D R Friend, that it be recommended to Cabinet:

“That Cabinet be asked to reconsider the decision to close the facilities at Tides.”

The Head of Corporate Services and Democracy provided advise that this item of business was concerned with receiving the views of affected sports clubs and organisations and that the recommendation more appropriately applied to the next substantial item of business (Minute No. 97 Tides Leisure Centre – Review of Interim Operating Arrangements).

Councillor C A Vinson with the consent of his seconder agreed to withdraw his recommendation.