Otley Labour Club has closed its social club in a bid to stem spiralling losses.

The Walkergate club's decision is for an initial three months' temporary breather to allow officials to try to come up with a rescue package.

It is hoped that by the early summer the club - the only remaining Labour social club in north-west Leeds, but with an ageing, falling membership - will open once again under a new image.

Gerald McGowan, secretary of Otley Labour Party, said it had been a difficult decision to make but increasing losses made it necessary to close the social club for a while.

But he added it looked possible that a lifeline could be thrown by the Leeds North-West constituency or some other rescue package could be sorted out. "It was losing money and the longer it stayed open the more it lost," he said

Jennifer Bennett, who took over the running of the club in June last year said it was run almost entirely by volunteers and in the end was being funded by the members themselves.

"It is a sad day and everyone is concerned about it but we will do our best to recreate something from it," she said.

The club, which has around 40 members, was open on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights as well as Saturday lunchtimes until after Christmas when the Friday nights were stopped.

"It was a decision we had delayed making for two and a half years since the old steward retired," said Mrs Bennett. "We have tried to keep the club open with volunteer members of the Labour Party and with paid staff on Saturdays.

"But in the end the outgoings were more than the incomings. Its been on the decline for five years and it got to the point where we were putting our own money into it," said Mrs Bennett.

She said she had written to all members to explain the situation and understood people would be upset.

"It is very difficult for the members, some of them are very elderly and the club was their social life. People are very unhappy.

"But we are saying this is a temporary three-month thing and we are having regular meetings to try to decide what action to take to open it in the future."

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