New members turned away from Aspire@ThePark in Pontefract due to high demand

New members at a new state-of-the-art leisure facility are being turned away because of overwhelming demand.
The state-of-the-art centre opened to the public last spring.The state-of-the-art centre opened to the public last spring.
The state-of-the-art centre opened to the public last spring.

Aspire@The Park, in Pontefract, opened its doors to the public last spring.

But Wakefield Council, which built and owns the £20m facility, has placed a temporary block on new memberships, after admitting it is struggling to cope with the number of gym goers who want to use it.

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The council's Cabinet member for leisure, Michael Graham, said he'd taken the "difficult decision" for the benefit of existing members.

Councillor Graham said Covid restrictions meant capacity had been restricted.Councillor Graham said Covid restrictions meant capacity had been restricted.
Councillor Graham said Covid restrictions meant capacity had been restricted.

Speaking at a full council meeting on Wednesday, Councillor Graham said: "One of the problems we've got is that in January and February, almost everyone is trying to lose weight after Christmas, and the memberships just go through the roof.

"With Covid we've had to space out the gym equipment, and so there's less capacity.

"That's created a real issue for us.

"While we have loads of new people signing up, the quality of the offer is not where I would like it to be, and so I did take the difficult decision to freeze the memberships temporarily, so that those who've paid money for the service get to use the equipment."

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Before the freeze, adult memberships at Aspire@ThePark were being charged at £25 a month, or £275 a year.

In the meantime, the council is encouraging people to use their leisure facilities in other parts of the district.

Local Democracy Reporting Service