DELAYS in the reopening of the pool at Aireborough Leisure Centre are to be examined in detail early in the New Year.

Leeds City Council will be identifying lessons for the future when it looks at why it took a year longer than expected to re-open the pool.

At its meeting on November 26, the council’s health scrutiny board considered a request from the three Guiseley and Rawdon ward councillors to examine the Aireborough Leisure Centre project.

The swimming pool finally re-opened in September after a closure of more than two years.

A major revamp of the pool and its facilities was beset by problems including cracks in the ceiling and the previous widespread use of asbestos.

The scrutiny board will now examine the issues in detail - including the initial assessment and procurement stages, project management, budget oversight and overall communication.

Scrutiny Board chairwoman Cllr Helen Hayden said: “The Scrutiny Board agreed that the concerns raised by the ward councillors should be considered in more detail – not least to help the Council reflect on any lessons for the future when undertaking other similar projects.

She added: “We will be looking to consider all the issues in more detail early in the New Year.”

Speaking before the meeting Guiseley and Rawdon councillor Paul Wadsworth said: “We’re pleased that the leisure centre is open again. However the project has experienced significant problems and delays, raising concerns locally and casting doubt over how the council delivers projects of this type.

“We think it’s right that scrutiny should now take a look at the project to identify why certain things didn’t go to plan, see if lessons can be learned and ensure that future schemes run more smoothly.”

Cllr Graham Latty said: “We are 100 per cent behind staff at the centre, who do an excellent job and have had to work in difficult circumstances.

“However I do think there needs to be a serious look at how the Council procures and pursues projects of this type. The number of problems that arose throughout this refurbishment created delays and increased costs. We need to understand if any of that could have been foreseen, and if similar problems can be prevented in the future.”

Cllr Pat Latty said the prolonged closure had caused a lot of disruption.