Outdoor centre campaigners 'offering false hope'
Sarah DonkinA council has accused campaigners bidding to keep an outdoor centre open of "offering false hope".
North Tyneside Council announced High Borrans, at Windermere in Cumbria, would close in November because of a £3m maintenance bill and a decline in use.
The Save High Borrans Campaign said it was considering legal action over the decision to close the centre which had hosted subsidised school trips since 1967.
A spokesperson for the council's ruling Labour group said: "Unless campaigners can explain where the money would come from, how they would stop the centre running at a loss, and which services they would cut to pay for it, they are offering false hope rather than real solutions."
In a letter to the council's mayor and chief executive, the campaign group said it had "resolved to obtain independent legal advice" and would also consider whether grounds existed to seek a judicial review.
The group, formed last week, comprises Green and Conservative councillors, a lone Labour councillor, the GMB Union, residents and representatives of the Friends of High Borrans charity, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Its correspondence to the council stated: "No decision has been taken regarding legal proceedings.
"The purpose of this advice is to ensure the campaign fully understands its legal position before determining any future course of action."
Friends of High BorransHowever, the Labour group spokesperson said "emotions alone cannot pay a £3m-plus repair bill".
They said continuing costs would "fall directly" on front-line services, but alternative providers had "sufficient capacity" to accommodate its schools.
"The fact that fewer than half of our schools now use High Borrans speaks for itself," the spokesperson said.
"What has become increasingly clear is that despite weeks of headlines, AI-generated template letters, social media campaigns, and even legal threats, those leading this campaign have still failed to produce a single credible, costed proposal showing how they would fund the £3m-plus repairs or turn High Borrans into a financially sustainable operation."
Meanwhile, Rebecca Wall, director of Children's Services, said: "We have acknowledged receipt of the call for reconsideration and will respond in due course."
