CAMPAIGNERS hoping to save a sports centre in Cleckheaton from closure have called on Kirklees Council to suspend its decision after a fresh twist in the plan to rebuild a school connected to the demolition-bound centre.

The Telegraph & Argus reported yesterday that the Government had halted a £150 million project to rebuild seven ageing schools - including Whitcliffe Mount Business and Enterprise College and four schools in Bradford - until a bid to have one of the buildings listed is resolved.

Now campaigners fighting to save Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre are urging the Council to halt their decision too. As part of the Government's priority school building programme Whitcliffe Mount school is due to be rebuilt in time for September 2017. The plans would see the new multi-million pound school building sited on the footprint of the existing Council-owned sports centre which shares the same site.

In order for the school rebuilt to start, the sports centre is due to close in May next year and be demolished. A smaller sports centre will be built, but campaigners fear there is no guarantee it will be available for the local community to use - and due to its size that it is unlikely to be available during school hours.

A complaint about how the council handled the decision made by its cabinet two years ago has been upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman and the inspector has called for the council to reconsider the issue at a public meeting as well as outlining the costs of breaking the existing contract for the school to be redeveloped if the leisure centre was to be kept open.

The council has now confirmed that as well as a discussion by councillors of the ombudsman report at full council next week, a special cabinet meeting is to be held in Cleckheaton to reconsider the matter.

A spokesman for the campaigners questioned how long the cabinet had known about the Government's decision to suspend the Yorkshire batch of its rebuilding programme and urged senior councillors to use the opportunity to redraw the plans allowing the new school to be built alongside the existing sports centre.

He said: "We now call upon the Kirklees cabinet to immediately suspend the closure of Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre due in May 2016 and make a formal announcement that after making due consideration of all the evidence and acceptance of their procedural failings, the plans will now be amended to include the existing sports centre."

Council leader David Sheard said of the ombudsman's findings that he would ask for the full timeline and sequence of council decision to be put before all members at next week's council meeting, ahead of a cabinet meeting being organised as soon as possible at the sports centre itself.

Cllr Sheard said: “Although the original judgement talked about a decision at full council, the right place for this is actually cabinet. I am happy to take the item to full council for information, but it is important the final decision is made in the right meeting, which is cabinet.

“That will be in public, in Whitcliffe Mount, and once a date is set we will publicise it so that local people have the opportunity to attend.”