A COUNCIL may have to repay a large proportion of grants totalling £1.7m if a proposal to close leisure centres goes ahead.

Durham County Council will decide the fate of six leisure centres today.

The council’s cabinet will be asked to endorse recommendations to close leisure centres in Ferryhill, Sherburn and Crook, while retaining Abbey Leisure Centre, in Pity Me, with reduced opening hours.

They will be asked to support further negotiations with Deerness Gymnastics Club, which is bidding to run Deerness Leisure Centre, in Ushaw Moor, and the Future Leisure campaign’s proposal to run the centre in Coxhoe.

The recommendations come after a bitter 12-week public consultation in which residents voiced their anger over what many saw as the stripping of a vital service.

It has emerged that the council received grants from Sport England for two of the threatened centres – £1,379,786 for work at Ferryhill Leisure Centre and £327,032 for work at Deerness.

Sport England stipulates that projects it backs must remain open for a set time after funding is given.

If they do not, it can claw back up to 80 per cent of the grant.

But in a report to the council’s cabinet committee today, officers say they are confident it will not have to pay any money back.

The report says: “It is officers’ view that full clawback, or indeed any, is unlikely.

Officers have met Sport England representatives, who’ve indicated that they are sympathetic to the council’s position.

“They’d consider mitigation based on the council’s future investment in sport.”

A Sport England spokesman said last night: “We have responded to the council’s review of leisure facilities.

“We are awaiting the council’s final decision on the future of these facilities.

“We urge the council to ensure any decision they make regarding leisure facilities continues to meet the needs the local community.”

Phil Wilson, Sedgefield MP, said the council has been forced to make £125m in savings over four years and that meant hard decisions.

Ferryhill county councillor David Farry said: “It would be devastating if the leisure centres had to close.

“If the council has to pay money back to Sport England it would seem a selfdefeating exercise.”