An elected rep has called for an “urgent review” of council leisure services in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) heard a motion this week highlighting that residents of the district were not getting services they were “entitled to”.
The move comes as concerns mount on delays for essential maintenance work on Newry swimming pool since November 2022, as well as multi-million pound plans to develop a new leisure facility in Newcastle.
Bringing forward the motion, Downpatrick Sinn Fein councillor Oonagh Hanlon said: “This council recognises that in the aftermath of Covid our local leisure facilities and services across the district are experiencing a number of significant challenges.
“The council notes that residents and service users are not getting the services or access to the facilities that they are entitled to.
“And calls for an urgent and robust review of the planning, management, and delivery of Newry, Mourne and Down’s leisure services, to be undertaken in order to sustain an operation model that meets the needs of service, users, ratepayers, and supports council staff in their ability to deliver first class services.”
