Photo credit: Bradford Council
UNISON is calling on Bradford Council to reconsider its plans to close an outdoor activity centre in the Yorkshire Dales, the union says today (Thursday).
Ingleborough Hall is a Grade 2 listed building, run by the local authority. It hosts trips from over 80 schools a year, offering activities such as caving and abseiling.
The facility has a specially adapted suite for people with disabilities, and also hosts children in care and young people with special educational needs, as well as providing family respite care.
Bradford Council is proposing closing Ingleborough Hall as one of a series of measures to address its budget shortfall. This would mean relocating services to Buckden House, another outdoor activity centre over 25 miles away, says UNISON.
UNISON believes this move would have a significant impact on the service provided, and mean disruption for both staff and people using the Hall.
The union says the change would also hit the income generated because Ingleborough Hall contains more beds than Buckden House, and has the capacity to host multiple school bookings at the same time.
UNISON is backing a petition to save the facility, launched last week, which received almost 1,500 signatures in the first 72 hours.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Michael Parkinson said: “Determining the future of Ingleborough Hall is a once-in-a-generation decision for councillors.
“It’s a popular facility used by schools from across Bradford, and further afield too. Schools from Fife and Cambridgeshire have visited Ingleborough Hall recently, as have more than 50 from across West Yorkshire.
“Over the decades its been operating, tens of thousands of young people have benefitted from what Ingleborough Hall has to offer.
“The council must look at other options and avoid the closure of the site. The council should take its time and consider every alternative before making a final decision.”
UNISON Bradford branch secretary Linda Crowther said: “Ingleborough Hall provides fantastic services to thousands of people every year.
“Over a decade of government cuts has led to the council’s financial crisis but it shouldn’t be the people who use Ingleborough Hall who are made to suffer.
“Closing the site will only save a tiny fraction of the money the council needs to find over the next three years. But if the Hall closes, it’ll mean huge disruption to the staff, and to everyone who enjoys spending time there.”
Former headteacher Julia Britton, who has been taking children on residential trips to Ingleborough Hall for over 20 years, said: “The possible closure of this wonderful outdoor centre will come as devastating news to so many people.
“Ingleborough Hall hosts thousands of visitors every year, including youth and religious groups, and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
“The council must reconsider. The benefit of keeping the site open for children and young people across the region and beyond far outweighs the investment required.
“If an alternative plan can be found, Ingleborough Hall can continue to offer life-changing experiences and life-long memories for current, as well as future generations of children.”
