Wolverhampton Central Baths

9.50.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 20th Oct 2007

Claire Dark is worried about Labour's PFI plans for leisure facilities in Wolverhampton

Fresh from closing down Park Ward's swimming pool at Compton Park Activities Centre, Wolverhampton's Labour controlled Council appears to be playing about with the future of Central Baths and other council owned leisure facilities in the City. According to documents seen by the Liberal Democrats the Labour Council is preparing to put the management of leisure facilities in Wolverhampton out to bids under the much discredited Private Finance Initiative (PFI). It has been shown time and time again that PFI bids end up costing taxpayers far more money than conventional finance schemes.

Park Ward candidate Claire Darke said, "One of the reasons that Compton Park was closed was years of mismanagement by the Labour controlled Council. I am very worried by these developments over our remaining facilities in the City. A Labour Council can not be trusted to run our leisure facilities effectively. When the going gets tough they simply pass the buck to someone else or close them down."