Bid for all-island leisure rate thrown out

A bid to introduce a leisure rate to replace local authority contributions to regional swimming pool costs has been thrown out.

The move would have seen the additional funds ring-fenced and allocated to the island's four local facilities and the National Sports Centre (NSC).

Lawrie Hooper MHK had said the measure, which would have seen changes to the rates in Douglas, Onchan and Braddan, would raise £250,000 and make the system "more equitable".

But Treasury Minister Alex Allinson said "full rate reform" would instead provide a "fair, modern and equitable way of funding community services and facilities".

An all-island tax would "not solve the problem of how our regional swimming pools are funded, how they are managed, and their operations co-ordinated", he said.

Hooper argued it was about "making things a little bit fairer and a little bit better" as rate reform would not happen all at once.

Although the regional rates for the pools did not raise a lot of money in comparison to the total running costs of the facilities, the measure would have the effect of "lessening the burden" on the Department for Education, Sport and Culture budget.

ing the proposal, Jason Moorhouse MHK said it would resolve the issue of "imbalance" in the rating system, which saw some ratepayers pay for the pools, but not all, and would "ensure uniform contributions".

But Chris Thomas MHK said the only reason that the facilities were paid for by rates was so that local authorities had control of the pools.

He said introducing a fee in the east of the island could lead to the NSC being run by a local authority.

Similarly, Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford said the measure would "centralise" the funding to the government and "remove that power from the local level".

In a vote in Tynwald the measure was rejected by the politicians.

Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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