CHRIS Houseman has got muddled on the subject of the council's leisure budget (January 14).
The real cost to the taxpayer of our sports facilities is as follows: the Barbican, Edmund Wilson and Yearsley together cost around £380,000 per year, whilst Oaklands costs £91,000.
As for WaterWorld and Huntington Stadium, far from costing £900,000 as Mr Houseman suggests, the complex actually returns a small profit for the council.
But the facilities are only one element of the sports programme which also covers all aspects of active leisure and healthy lifestyles such as the Walking for Health Scheme, "Movtiv8", sports development work, holiday activities, out-of-school sports schemes, activities for special needs groups such as people in sheltered accommodation, work with disaffected young people, club and coach development schemes, special events like the Youth Games, information and training for teachers, coaches, club members and parents.
Charlie Croft,
Assistant director (lifelong learning & leisure),
St Leonard's Place,
York.
Updated: 12:33 Saturday, January 18, 2003
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