A QUESTIONNAIRE which helped shape the strategy to close six North- East leisure centres received only 37 responses, from the public, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Durham County Council’s Sport and Leisure Strategy is cited as one of the main factors behind the council’s decision to consult on closing six indoor leisure facilities.

However, only 37 people completed questionnaires during a 2009 consultation on the strategy and campaigners fighting to save the leisure centres say without proper consultation, the document has no mandate.

The council says it carried out other consultation, including workshops and focus groups, over the plans for centres in Ferryhill, Crook, Coxhoe, Pity Me, Sherburn and Ushaw Moor.

The Northern Echo revealed the council was considering closing six of its 18 leisure centres in February, and published extracts of a leaked report.

Council chiefs were criticised for placing greater emphasis on closure and the council resolved to consult on finding third party operators, with closure as a last resort.

The final report on the consultation, which was approved in March, says the Sport and Leisure Strategy was “explicit” in proposing a shift away from indoor facilities and suggests “maximising the use of the outdoor environment”.

Councillor Carol Woods, who is fighting to save Sherburn Leisure Centre, said: “I don’t think they have got the mandate to go forward. The council needs to look at how it consults with people.”

Stephen Howell, the council’s head of sport and leisure, said it had consulted using a range of approaches on top of the questionnaire.

He said: “These included workshops and focus groups with major stakeholders, such as town and parish councils, Sport England, NHS County Durham, as well as public questionnaires.

“Although the number of responses from the general public wasn’t huge they were of real value and contributed to the process.

“The results of the consultation helped to shape the sport and leisure strategy and resulted in a number of changes to the draft version.”

But Councillor David Farry, who handed in a 3,800-name petition against the Ferryhill closure on Thursday, said the council had ignored residents.

He said: “The officers totally missed the mark when they first proposed the closures because they hadn’t listened to the people who use them.”

Third party operators have until June 10 to submit business plans to take over the running of the leisure centres.