The councillor in charge of the district’s sport and leisure has clashed with Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe over the closure threat hanging over four of the district’s swimming pools.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, Bradford Council’s executive member for environment and culture, has accused Mr Sutcliffe of being “hypocritical” over his backing of the Telegraph & Argus Save Our Swimming campaign.

She said it was criteria set down by Sport England, by his own Government department, which is being used by the consultants who are reviewing sports facilities in the district.

But in response, Mr Sutcliffe has again accused the Council of failing to produce a sports strategy, which he said he had been pushing for the last five years.

The T&A campaign, immediately backed by Mr Sutcliffe, was started yesterday to call on the Council to reject the consultants’ proposals to close community swimming pools in Bingley, Manningham and Queensbury as well as Richard Dunn Sports Centre at Odsal.

We support plans for a new showpiece pool to be created in the city centre but we are calling for the four under threat to remain open and be refurbished or rebuilt.

Coun Hawkesworth said: “I find it both incredible and more than a little hypocritical that Gerry Sutcliffe seeks to put himself at the forefront of a campaign to oppose consultants’ proposals to review sports facilities across the district when the method they are using – the Sport England Facility Calculator – is the very one prescribed by his own Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

“What has been glaringly absent from his comments is his own thoughts on what he as Sports Minister – as he constantly reminds us – intends to do to fill the gaps we are seeking to address with regard to sports facilities across the district.

“Indeed, a question that is being constantly asked by local residents is what has Gerry Sutcliffe done to help Bradford district in this area since becoming Sports Minister and, quite frankly, I am at a loss to give them an answer.

“He has constantly sought to cover his own failings with the false claim that the Council has not produced a Sports Strategy. To ensure Mr Sutcliffe is left in no further doubt, I have arranged for him to be presented with another copy of this document immediately.”

In response the Bradford South MP said: “I’m not sure that the people of Bradford will be impressed by the sight of politicians squabbling about this issue and I am sorry that Councillor Hawkesworth has resorted to personal attacks.

“It really adds nothing to this debate. What people want to see are decent sporting and leisure facilities in the city and, if the early response to the petitions is anything to go by, they certainly don’t want to see their swimming pools closed.

“For Councillor Hawkesworth’s clarification I am not opposing a review of sporting facilities across the district. Quite the contrary, I am the one who has been arguing for a Council sports strategy for the past five years and I am still waiting.

“Councillor Hawkesworth can forward as many documents to me as she wishes but none of them will be a sports strategy because the Council still doesn’t have one. What I am opposing is the wholesale closure of swimming pools without appropriate replacement facilities.

“She is correct in saying that the report used the Sport England Facility Calculator, and the report concluded that there is ‘a deficiency in accessible provision across the district, particularly of 25 metre pools’. Figures in their own report show that this deficiency of provision will be made worse by closing these four pools.

“If Councillor Hawkesworth wants to know my thoughts on sporting provision in Bradford, why hasn’t she or any other senior Councillor sought a meeting with me until now? This report has been kicking around the Council since January. If she is serious about wanting my input then why did I only get to know about it in a phone call last Friday?

“The public will not tolerate politicians using this important issue as a political football. Let’s stop with the personal attacks and get all interested parties involved in a genuine partnership to produce a comprehensive sports strategy that will be of genuine and lasting benefit to the whole district.”

e-mail: jo.winrow @telegraphandargus.co.uk