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image captionLeisure centres and gyms were allowed to reopen on 12 April
A third of council-run leisure centres in England are facing permanent closure, according to a new survey.
Up to 117 centres could run out of money within months - and of those that can stay open, nearly 80% say they will have to cut services.
The District Councils Network - which represents 180 authorities - says £325m is urgently needed to save the sector.
The government says it has pumped unprecedented amounts into sports and leisure during the pandemic.
But, according to the DCN survey, nearly a fifth of district councils expecting to have to cut services are looking to close three or more leisure centres in their areas.
Boris Johnson was urged yesterday not to forget the South East as the Conservatives make gains in Labour’s former heartlands in the North.
Dan Humphreys, the Tory council leader in Worthing, West Sussex, warned that southern voters will be unhappy if investment is concentrated elsewhere.
The party only narrowly retained control of the council with a majority of just one as Labour increased its seats by five.
Boris Johnson has been urged not to forget the South East as the Conservatives make gains in the North
Mr Humphreys said: ‘Down here in Sussex we’re being asked to build tens of thousands of houses in very challenging circumstances.
What to do about dirt bikers and ATV riders zooming around the streets and parks of Boston? There’s not really a simple solution, officials suggested at a public meeting.
The perennial presence of motorized vehicles in Franklin Park and the streets of Boston has become a hot button issue in recent days after a front-page story in the Boston Herald described it as “out of control.”
City councilor Matt O’Malley hosted the virtual meeting on Franklin Park Wednesday, which was livestreamed on city councilor Julia Mejia’s Facebook page. (The planned Tuesday meeting was derailed after it was “Zoom bombed” with pornographic images, forcing the meeting to be delayed. The passcode for the Tuesday meeting was publicly shared online.)
Fly tipping is a serious issue, up and down the country ENGLISH rural communities are increasingly being targeted by a fly-tipping farm-aggedon , with more rubbish being dumped in agricultural areas, new figures have revealed – prompting councils south of the border to call for tougher penalties to punish offenders. The number of fly-tipping incidents on agricultural spots has increased by 80% – from 888 in 2012/13 to 1600 in 2019/20 – while total fly-tipping incidents in districts rose from 173,000 to 209,000 for the same period, according to government statistics published this week. These figures however don’t reflect the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, which councils fear has driven an even sharper increase in fly-tipping.
“We are seeing this becoming more and more of an issue in the countryside, with rural communities experiencing what is tantamount to a fly-tipping farm-aggedon.”
DCN, which represents 187 district councils in England responsible for clearing up fly-tipping and littering, said the littering of face masks and other Personal Protective Equipment was a growing problem in their local communities.
The group called on the Government to provide more funding to “wage war” on fly-tippers and polluters.
Mr Humphreys said: “As we come out of the pandemic, the government needs to make sure districts have the funding certainty to be able to wage war on fly-tippers on a scale which will ensure communities have a safe and clean environment they are proud to call home.”