John Swinney admits constituents have expressed Perth leisure concerns to him
First Minister John Swinney has encouraged Perth and Kinross Council to continue engaging with the community on their controversial leisure plans.
Speaking to The Courier, Mr Swinney admitted people had raised concerns with him directly regarding the future of Bell's Sports Centre.
Sports clubs and residents have lashed out at plans to build a new leisure centre at Thimblerow without a dedicated leisure pool and proposals to turn Bell's into an unheated arena with artificial pitches.
More than 6,200 people have signed two petitions against the ideas.
Campaigners, including Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network, want Bell's reopened for indoor sports and a leisure pool built at Glover Street.
'I've had people coming to see me with concerns about the proposals at Bell's,' said Mr Swinney.
'I think it's important that the aspirations that they are setting out are properly considered.'
The first minister encouraged communication between the factions but admitted money was an issue.
Mr Swinney said: 'The council's got to wrestle with very significant financial challenges around any particular project.
'Now what I do know is that the council has engaged substantively with the local community on these questions.
'I would encourage, obviously, that dialogue to carry on.
'But I recognise – I'm the first to recognise because I'm wrestling with it all the time – the challenges and the public finances the council will face because there will be multiple demands that they've got to address.'
However, the Perthshire MSP was adamant that quality sport and leisure services provided by the local authority were vital for communities.
He said: 'There's got to be good council leisure services.
'It's absolutely vital.
'The health and wellbeing of the population needs a certain amount of active intervention by individuals themselves but they've got to have facilities to use.
'And they've got to be affordable and accessible for members of the public.
'I think councils being active in this whole area of policy is vital for the health and wellbeing for the population.'
Perth and Kinross Council has come in for much criticism for their consultation on Bell's which campaigners have slammed as 'misleading'.
Equality concerns have also been raised around numerous decisions taken by the local authority and Live Active Leisure regarding their leisure provision over the last 12 months.
The future of PH2O, Bell's Sports Centre and Dewars Centre is expected to go before councillors again next month.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: 'We have met with the Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network and their proposals will be considered as part of our response to the consultation.
'These plans are also informed by the findings of our Leisure Assets Review, which looked at demand and usage across all our facilities in Perth and Kinross, and the available capital budget.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
26 minutes ago
- Daily Record
John Swinney's youth violence summit must deliver real change not just talk
John Swinney deserves credit when it comes to engaging with the public on the big issues facing the country. Not every minister in his government is so willing when it comes to listening to voices who may not necessarily agree with their party line. The SNP leader will host a summit on reducing youth violence across Scotland in a bid to prevent knife crime. But mum Vicky Donald surely speaks for many when she voiced fears that nothing will be done. She has demanded urgent action and 'real change'. The message is clear – John Swinney's latest summit can't be just another talking shop. The Scottish Government has also pledged that funding for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will rise by seven per cent, after fears it faced a budget cut. It comes in the wake of the tragic deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay, 15, and Kayden Moy, 16, who both died this year after being stabbed. Another youth was also seriously injured but survived following an altercation in Edinburgh. The Record has repeatedly reported that violence is a real problem in some secondary schools, with teachers seemingly powerless to punish the worst perpetrators. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Real action has to be taken so our youngsters can feel safe, whether they are in the classroom or out socialising. The vast majority of young Scots are well-mannered and a credit to their families. But a violent minority cannot be left to cause havoc and risk more lives being lost. Be a donor hero Giving blood is one of the easiest ways you can save someone else's life. It's a quick and painless process that the vast majority of adults could easily undertake a few times a year. Appointments can now be made online, making donating even easier. There are many Scots who give blood regularly but the service can't rely on a few people doing all the work. At least 10,000 new volunteers are needed to step up and help keep bloodstocks at their required levels. More than half of regular donors are now aged 45 and over. Put simply, younger Scots need to be encouraged to step up and help save lives. You never know when you or a loved one could require a blood transfusion. It's never too late to become a blood donor for the first time.
Daily Record
33 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Voters in Hamilton chose hope over despair and more Scots will do the same next year
Scottish Labour has once again defied the odds. Last Thursday we proved the pollsters, the commentators and the bookies wrong by winning the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. This is a fantastic victory for our new MSP Davy Russell and a win for the local community. This area now has a dedicated local champion representing them in the Scottish Parliament and demanding better from this failing SNP government. But this result has significance for the whole of Scotland. The people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have laid the first stone in the path to a Scottish Labour government in 2026. They have set the terms of the Scottish Parliament election and made it absolutely clear that it will be a direct choice between the SNP and Scottish Labour. A third decade of SNP government or a new direction with Scottish Labour. John Swinney as First Minister or me. That is the choice on the table – everything else is just noise. We saw a preview of the SNP's deflection tactics over recent weeks, as the SNP talked up Reform for their own political gain. John Swinney's now-infamous claim that the by-election was between Reform and the SNP has aged like milk. It was a shameful to misinformation campaign that did nothing but embolden Reform. But the truth is the SNP is reaching for desperate spin like this because it has nothing else to say. Scotland has almost one in six Scots on an NHS waiting list. 10,000 children in temporary accommodation. And violence rife in our classrooms - it's no wonder the SNP cannot stand on its own record. After 18 years in government the SNP is fresh out of ideas. It has no vision for the future and no hope to offer Scots. This is a tired government that has grown out of touch and run out of steam. But this is not as good as it gets. Our country has so much talent, so much potential and such extraordinary natural resources. The people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse saw right through the SNP's dishonest campaign and issued a damning indictment on their record in government. They rejected Reform's poisonous attempts to stoke fear and hopelessness in an attempt to divide us. Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse voted for a new direction. They chose the politics of hope over the politics of despair. Next year - when the rest of Scotland gets a chance to have their say - I have no doubt that they will do the same. Too many voters feel helpless While I will be celebrating this important win, I will also be reflecting on what people are telling us. I had hundreds of conversations over the course of this campaign. I spoke to people of all ages and backgrounds, and there was one consistent message ringing out clearly: the status quo isn't good enough. People feel a sense of hopelessness – they can't rely on public services, the economy doesn't work for them, and politics feels detached from their lives. I won't turn my back on those people. I recognise that the UK Labour government must go further and faster to deliver the change people are so desperate to see, but that is just one part of the answer here in Scotland. From our NHS to our schools to our housing system, the SNP is responsible for so much of what is broken. I will work tirelessly to demonstrate that things can be better with a Scottish Labour government. The truth is John Swinney and the SNP have been in charge for nearly two decades – if they had the answers we would have seen them by now. Meanwhile, Reform feed on hopelessness and despair – they don't want you to believe that things can improve. Only one party will fight the Scottish Parliament elections on a positive vision for Scotland's future and that is Scottish Labour.
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
John Swinney insists he will not quit despite Nats' Holyrood by-election disaster
The First Minister doesn't intend to resign after losing the formerly safe seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Going Nowhere Going Nowhere John Swinney insists he will not quit despite Nats' Holyrood by-election disaster JOHN Swinney yesterday insisted he will not quit despite Nats' Holyrood by-election disaster. The First Minister shrugged off calls from SNP grandees to resign after losing the formerly safe seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse to Labour. 2 The First MInister did hint that a long-rumoured cabinet reshuffle is imminent Credit: PA 2 Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused Mr Swinney of pushing voters to Reform UK. Credit: Getty Former deputy leader Jim Sillars and ex-Cabinet minister Alex Neil urged him to end his year-long reign. But Mr Swinney claimed Nats are making 'real progress' on key policies. He said: 'Twelve months ago, the party turned to me at a moment of real jeopardy. "It asked me to use all my skills and experience to bring people together. 'We will win again.' But he did signal a long-rumoured cabinet reshuffle is imminent, saying: 'I'll have to look at the team.' And he failed to rule out a fresh coalition with Greens if the SNP fall well short of a majority at next year's Holyrood election, as polls suggest. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused Mr Swinney of pushing voters to Reform UK. His deputy Jackie Baillie said: 'Far from steadying the ship, John Swinney has sailed the SNP into another iceberg.'
