THE Save Woolston Hub Action Group has formally requested an urgent face-to-face meeting with Warrington Borough Council’s leadership and Ministerial Envoys to address outstanding concerns surrounding the closure of Woolston Neighbourhood Hub.
The call comes on the eve of a planned peaceful demonstration outside Warrington town hall on Monday evening, from 4:30 pm ahead of the council’s Cabinet meeting.
With the support of over 3,000+ Facebook followers, the group is also advocating for the ‘silent residents’—particularly the elderly, the young, and disabled users who do not use social media and face significant barriers to accessing the consultation—the campaign is calling for transparency, evidence-based decision-making, and immediate action to allow the safe partial reopening of the Hub’s dry-side facilities, including the gym, studios and library.
The group stresses that its approach is constructive and solution-focused, and that it is seeking collaboration with the Council at a critical stage in the consultation process.
Key concerns raised by the campaign include:
• Unclear and inconsistent cost estimates, including the widely cited £3 million repair figure, which the campaign believes lacks sufficient published technical evidence and breakdown.
• Legionella remediation, where industry-standard controls may allow isolation and treatment of affected systems without full building closure.
• Failure to properly assess partial reopening, despite no published risk assessment demonstrating that dry-side facilities cannot be safely reopened.
• Gaps in the Equality Impact Assessment, particularly regarding elderly residents, disabled users, children, and those without access to private transport.
• Funding transparency, including the existence of Section 106 developer contributions linked to Woolston leisure provision and other potential funding routes that are not clearly set out in consultation materials.
The campaign also highlights the importance of the unanimously agreed Full Council motion of December 2025, which required the Council to publish and consider all realistic options, including phased reopening and alternative delivery models.
“We are not asking the Council to make reckless decisions,” said a spokesperson for Save Woolston Hub.
“We are asking for proportionate, evidence-based action — starting with reopening the parts of the building that appear safe — and for full transparency so the public can properly engage with the consultation.”
The group notes that recent information obtained through statutory processes raises further questions about whether all funding options were actively explored prior to closure. The campaign has made clear it would prefer to resolve these issues through open dialogue rather than escalation.
With the consultation deadline approaching, the Save Woolston Hub Action Group is urging Council leadership to meet urgently, clarify the evidence, and demonstrate that community participation is being taken seriously.
“Woolston Hub is not just a building,” the spokesperson added.
“It is a vital piece of social infrastructure supporting health, wellbeing, inclusion and independence. Decisions of this scale must be transparent, lawful, and genuinely open to influence.”
The campaign remains committed to working constructively with the Council, councillors and stakeholders to secure a fair outcome for Woolston and the wider borough.
1 Comment
We want to ensure that both transparency and best value are delieved. We want to explore all funding options and all engineering solutions to reopen this vital public building which so many people rely on for leisure, health and culture.