RESIDENTS and councillors have reacted angrily to news that the Yoker Sports Centre is to be closed down permanently.

Glasgow City Council has now taken over the Glasgow Life facility on Speirshall Terrace and plans to turn it into a nursery.

Councillors and residents had appealed for the gym to remain open alongside the new early years centre.

Politicians expressed their disappointment after learning that would not happen.

Confirmation of the closure came at a meeting of the council's Garscadden and Scotstounhill area partnership this week - but opponents of the closure slammed a lack of consultation from the authority over the facility's future.

Labour councillor for the area Eva Murray said: “It was a sports centre built by and for the community. 

“The sports ground and the centre was well used. People will now have to travel a fair bit to get to a similar facility.

“Not everybody has access to a car or is able to afford to jump on a bus.

"There has been no community consultation. The community were willing to work with the council and Glasgow Life to find a solution. But that has been dumped.”

A letter was sent from the organisation to the partnership confirming the situation. 

Glasgow Life previously said it was considering offering “some of the services historically provided from Yoker to other facilities".

Those could include the Clyde Campus in Hawick Street, home to pupils from the former Garscadden Primary and Yoker Primary as well as St Brendan's Primary and Yokerburn Primary, which is a 15-minute walk from Speirshall Terrace.

Describing the lack of involvement of  local people in the decision as disturbing, Cllr Bill Butler (Labour, Garscadden/Scotstounhill) said: “ I think this has been done without any real consultation at all.

"It has simply been done with a disregard for the wishes of local people.”

The meeting heard claims of "a breakdown of trust" between the council and residents.

Sandy Busby, of Yoker Community Council, said the area has "one of the worst health records" in the city

He added: “The local residents have been told what is happening, rather than being asked.”

Area SNP councillor Chris Cunningham, the partnership's chair, said: “Covid changed the nature of Glasgow Life’s business model.

"They have  made decisions on the back of that, which are uncomfortable for them and for us. 

“It is not a decision which they have taken because they wish to walk away from a community. 

“It is a decision they have taken because the business model no longer sustains and supports the action that they would like to take.”

Cllr Cunningham said the city's SNP administration was happy to support a combined nursery and sports centre. 

He added: “In the absence of a combined centre I remain with the view that we need to develop a nursery in that position and use the nursery to further develop the facilities around the area.”