Brixton Rec closing for 3 months

[Ms T]

:mad:

Found out today that the Rec is closing on 31 March for 3 months for refurbishment. I can't believe we're going to be without our leisure facility AGAIN, for the second time in six months.

There's a meeting at the Rec on 6th March where you can "ask questions", apparently. Might go along and make my displeasure known.

:mad:

[aurora green]

Again?? This is ridiculous.:mad:

It wasn't worth buying my family leisure card this year, at all.

Do know what time is the meeting Ms T? Only I might go along and demand a refund.

[Ms T]

Again?? This is ridiculous.:mad:

It wasn't worth buying my family leisure card this year, at all.

Do know what time is the meeting Ms T? Only I might go along and demand a refund.

I don't, but I'll check next time I go to the Rec (probably on Wednesday). :)

[hayduke]

Did anyone go to this meeting?

[lang rabbie]

I heard secondhand that no Lambeth officer was present and the only councillor there was a member of the opposition. It was left to a representative of the currrent contractor, Leisure Connection, to explain what is going on!

[potential]

the last refurb, all leisure cards were extended by a month,
this will prob be the same again ???
ive stopped going toooooooooo depressing rude staff, shitty changing rooms,
loads of the resistance machines dont work, fuckwits knick the weight bolt thingy
i run around dulwich park now alot nicer

[gaijingirl]

This is really annoying. True the pool and changing rooms are in a bit of a mess right now - but it's local and handy and i've just gotten a bloody leisure card so I could use it cheap... :mad: It seems to be closed more than it's open these days. :(

[aurora green]

Well they're refurbishing the ladies changing rooms at the moment, so we're all set for a nice new facilities (in the not too distant future, I hope)

One thing I have noticed, and I'm sure this happened the last time they closed down the rec, is that the temperature in the pool has been low for the last couple of weeks....

[Tricky Skills]

I didn't attend the meeting, but the word is that after having called the meeting, Lambeth pulled out at the last minute because of 'legal reasons.' By all accounts there was a brilliant turn out, but little in the way of info from Leisure Connection. They have been told to vacate by 31st March.

The place is a right dump at the moment. There's a definite 'sod it' attitude from most staff. Can't say you blame them really.

I gave up on the gym before Christmas. No keys for most of the machines just made it a waste of time. The changing rooms are heading the same way with very few keys in the gents - selfish knobbers having their own 'private' locker.

Here's hoping for a major turnaround when it re-opens in the summer.

[Brixton Hatter]

FFS! :mad: Why do they need to close it again? Was just getting into my swimming groove again. Bugger.

[Tricky Skills]

Lambeth Council's Head of Sport & Leisure actually bothered to turn up for a second meeting that was called last Tuesday. The basics:

The Rec will close for three months.

The new sub-contractor has yet to sign the contract.

23.5% price increase for all activities.

Plasma screens :rolleyes:

There's a march this coming Tuesday (20th) and then users are encouraged to attend the Brixton Area Forum on the 27th.

Apologies for the crude C&P, but here's a bit from m'blog (http://www.onionbagblog.com) about the meeting:

********

On Tuesday evening I attended a public meeting at Brixton Rec called by the Brixton Rec Users group. As with all things Brixton, this was wonderfully anarchic with the BRU group existing only on the hastily drawn up posters, and not in constitution. But the Brixton spirit was there - prickly, passionate and not afraid of taking the piss out of authority.

Brixton is my kinda place.

A meeting the week before was called by Lambeth Council to address users. Leisure Connection, the outgoing sub-contractors were in attendance, but the Lambeth Council knobbers pulled out at the last minute because of 'legal reasons.'

In a Borough where legality is often open to debate, legal reasons could mean anything from sensitive contractual negations with a new leisure partner, to running scared shit from the Brixton baying mob. Fit people are often angry people, and so it was probably brown pants time at Lambeth Town Hall.

But on Tuesday BRU were granted a rare audience with George Sarkodie, Head of Lambeth's Sport & Leisure. It was a classic barmy Brixton night; Love Me I’m a Liberal debate from the floor being shouted down by RESPECT activists (strangely showing little respect,) reminding Mr Sarkodie that historically the Rec arose out of the flames of the riots and the subsequent Scarman Inquiry.

Poor old George bumbled his way through the questions from BRU, but remained adamant that the Rec WILL close for three months as from April 1st. Yep, only in Brixton...

All Fools Day also coincides with the vacation date given to Leisure Connection. And so Lambeth is using the 'opportunity' of a new sub-contractor coming into SW9 to undertake the required refurbishment.

But wait - what's this? Do we actually have a new sub-contractor waiting in the wings, or is the 'refurbishment' a smoke screen to buy time to try and attract more investment in Brixton?

It emerged that out of the initial three companies who expressed an interest to take on the new leisure contract, two pulled out (probably after having seen the state of the piss stained showers.) Which leaves us with... Greenwich (!) Leisure Limited, probably wanting to gentrify' Brixton (take the money and run,) and stalling on the contract because they trust Lambeth Council even less than BRU does.

A brilliant speech from an angry (not so young) man (ha!) reminded Mr Sarkodie that the last time Lambeth awarded a leisure contract (Brockwell Lido) to a third party, slef-styled Leisure Lifeststyle knobbers Fusion took two years to sign the fucker and hence there isn't much optimism in finding someone to take on Brixton Rec before the April 1st deadline in less than two weeks time. Even smiling George found this point of order amusing.

We were then given some spin about £2.8m investment, plasma screens and a fancy new reception area. But someone's got to pay for all of this plasma bollocks, and before you can even quote at George the high level of Lambeth Council Tax to help pay for leisure, a 23.5% increase in prices is on the agenda, assuming the Rec ever opens again.

And here lies the uncertainty. Close the Rec for three months for 'refurbishment,' fail to find a third party contractor and the prime property location all of a sudden looks very attractive for a local authority that is not exactly well known for sound financial management.

We don't want plasma bollocks in Brixton (as the angry not so young blogger pointed out); we just want lockers that work. There's a lot of love locally for the building. Structurally it's sound. It just needs to be managed by people who understand sport as well as the very specific needs of the local area.

And what of the poor sods currently employed by Leisure Connection? Big Ken, Teresa and Chris are all diamonds, but have been told that they will receive a poxy £18 a day salary whislt the Rec is closed. You couldn't even afford membership on that kind of money.

We may not know how to elect decent Councillors in Brixton but we certainly know how to protest. I shall be celebrating my birthday on Tuesday attending a march from the Rec to the Town Hall where BRU will storm the barricades and declare an independent Republic of Brixton with the demand for Badminton Courts For ALL probably make a lot of noise and cause a public nuisance.

The following week there's the Brixton Area Forum where the piss poor provision of leisure will be high on the agenda.

And all of this coming from a local authority run by a man who has plenty of sporting fighting talk, but whose Council is extremely crap at public sporting provision.

Game on.

********

[waverunner]

And this is just after Lambeth send out a letter accompanying the council tax bill blathering on about how they realise there aren't enough places for kids to go and do things, rather than just standing on the street hanging about. So they're going to shut the Rec for 3 months and increase the price of using it afterwards! Genius! :rolleyes:

[snowy_again]

Isn't that the social enterprise / co op one where all staff 'own' a proportion of the company? Not supporting them, but heard some Radio 4 programme about them a while ago which was singing their praises... but then SE is trendy at the moment...

[Tricky Skills]

A few photos (http://www.onionbagblog.com) and some thoughts on the BRU march on Tuesday.

[Loupylou]

No 3 months closure!
No price increases!
Meaningful consultation with the Users and Staff!

60 people held a very lively procession to the Lambeth Town Hall at 6.30 on Tuesday 20th March. South London Press attended. Several councillors watched but avoided us. Lots of bystanders asked what was happening and took leaflets. The children’s football teams, their coach and parents made a very spirited contribution. We now also have a banner.

There is a real possibility that the Council will consider other options to a full 3-month closure of the Rec from 1st April and transfer to Greenwich Leisure.

There is still no Rec management from 31st March. Leisure Connections has refused a Council request to extend its contract to manage the Rec until 1st August. Word is out that the builders have said the work at the Rec will take 16 weeks. Streatham is reportedly closing shortly for refurbishment and a user group has formed there.

The Rec Users Group has submitted a freedom of Information request about the service contract to Leisure Connections and the recent tender process.

WHAT YOU CAN NOW DO

Keep writing to or calling councillors, especially Councillor Lib Peck, Cabinet Member for Environment & Culture (including leisure services) lpeck@lambeth.gov.uk.
For your local Councillors, check Lambeth Council’s website or call the Town Hall – 0207 926 1000.
Lots of individuals have e-mailed and written to councillors and are getting responses.
Brixton Bowling Club with 150 members, has written to Peck about the disruption the closure will cause its fixture. Its committee is meeting her on 27 March.

Brixton Climbers, whose 65 members use the climbing wall, one of only two in South London, has written to 5 local MPs as well as Peck about the damage the closure will do to them. MP Kate Hoey has responded to date.

THE REC WILL BE A MAJOR ITEM ON THE AGENDA OF BRIXTON FORUM 7PM 28TH MARCH, Assembly Rooms Lambeth Town Hall (Acre Lane entrance). Meet in the Assembly Rooms foyer from 18.45.

Sign and have your friends sign the attached petition. Leave completed petitions at Reception by Wednesday 28th `March.

Write to South London Press, 2-4 Leigham Court Road, London SW16 2PD
Email: newsdesk@slp.co.uk. (300 words max)


THE REC USER GROUP wants all users represented and more people involved. Please offer to do all or any of the following:
¬ Get others to sign the petition.

¬ Spend an hour in the Rec entrance to inform and involve other users, at key times. Many are interested but know even less than we do. So far we have two users to do this from 5.30 to 6.30 on the 28th March.

¬ Help with the e-mail, leaflet and telephone communications.

¬ Be a contact for your group of Rec users, so that we can obtain ideas from and cascade information through them.

Don’t be shy about coming forward. Every contribution helps.


Robyn Dasey

[Loupylou]

BRIXTON REC USER GROUP PETITION
We the undersigned users remind Lambeth Council that the Brixton Recreation Centre is a very important community facility. We oppose the closure of the Centre for 3 months or more for refurbishment and demand that the Council immediately begins meaningful consultation with the users and staff over the refurbishment and the future services at the Centre. We also oppose price increases.
NAME ADDRESS

[aurora green]

Hmm..well it's now closed.:( :mad:

[rennie]

and when it opens, prices are going up!

[Ms T]

I got a letter telling me it was officially closing on Friday. It also said that they might take me direct debit out for April anyway, but that I will be given a month's membership for free when they reopen in July (if they do). Of course it won't be free as I'll have already paid for it.

Why couldn't they just cancel the direct debits, ffs? :mad:

[BiddlyBee]

You can cancel it.

[Ms T]

You can cancel it.

I want to freeze my membership though - but I've just called them and apparently they haven't taken the money out, contrary to their letter.

[Bazza]

Where else has squash courts in the area? Anyone able to help?