LEISURE bosses were under fire today after revealing that part of York's Barbican Centre may now stay open until the end of October - but not the swimming pools.

City of York Council's executive is being asked to approve a delay in handing over the centre to Absolute Leisure Ltd (ALL) until December 1, because the company is unlikely to be in a position to start refurbishment work until November.

Assistant leisure director Charlie Croft is proposing to keep fitness facilities open in the auditorium until October 31, with catering, creche and soft play services also continuing up to this date.

However, he is still proposing to close the pools on June 6 as originally proposed, "to allow time for decommissioning before the main development work begins."

But York MP Hugh Bayley called today for the pools to stay open until the rest of the centre shuts, saying: "It's good the council has listened to public opinion, but they need to go further."

Labour leisure spokesman, Coun Alan Jones, said the June closure worried him. "If the whole project is being put back by several months, the pool should remain open for the public to use," he said.

"It seems strange to start 'decommissioning' the pool while there is still uncertainty about the planning decision." Ernie Dickinson, spokesman for the Save Our Barbican campaign, welcomed the delay in closure, but also said the pools should stay open until the planning process had been completed. This would not happen until it was known whether a public inquiry was to be held - and, if so, until the inquiry result was known.

Mr Croft said the decision from the Secretary of State on whether to approve the scheme or call it in was not expected until the end of May.

He said that handing over the auditorium to Absolute Leisure Ltd on December 1 made sense, given that UK Snooker was still expected to hold the UK Snooker championships at the Barbican from November 12-29.

Mr Croft said the extended closure period would benefit Barbican staff, who were issued with redundancy notices earlier this year on the basis that the centre would shut at the end of May.

He said the changes would allow greater opportunity for redeployment to be achieved.

"They have already been informed of the new proposal and those required to continue providing services up to November will be identified and revised redundancy notices issued."

The proposals will be discussed at an executive meeting on Tuesday, May 18.

Updated: 10:26 Friday, May 07, 2004