Questions Raised As Waterworld Lift ‘Out Of Order For Months’

Questions have been raised over the timescale taken to repair a lift at a Wrexham leisure centre.

The lift in Waterworld, has reportedly been out of action since early October 2016 – prompting concerns over the long term impact it has had on users of the centre.

No indication of when the lift will be up and running has been given, however the delay in the repair has been put down to ‘limited parts available’.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities and Partnerships at Wrexham Council, apologised to anyone who have been affected by the lack of working lift at Waterworld.

“We appreciate this will impact on disabled users and want to see the situation resolved as soon as possible,” said Cllr Jones.

“Unfortunately, due to there being limited parts available for the lift, initial works to repair it have been unsuccessful, and specialist contractors are now determining whether a replacement would be the best course of action.

“We await further investigatory work by contractors, and Freedom Leisure will update customers of any news as to when the lift will be fully functional or replaced.”

Andy Harris, Area Manager Freedom Leisure told us: “We completely understand the frustration of our users over the extended period that the lift has been out of order and I offer my most sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused.

“Please be assured it is not in our interest to have such a fundamental piece of equipment, which is so critical to our service and users, not working and that we really are trying everything possible to bring this to a speedy conclusion.”

No timeframe for a fix was given to us, however in emails we have seen from Freedom it is explained, “Unfortunately we are not able at this stage to provide an exact date of when the lift will be fully functional as there are further investigatory works required by specialist contractors. We plan to communicate any update we have with our customers in due course” adding “There are a number of factors that are unfortunately hindering progress with the age and limited parts available for this lift being a critical issue.”

Marc Jones, of Plaid Cymru, has shown Wrexham.com correspondence with both Freedom Leisure and Wrexham Council after local residents raised concerns with him about ongoing problems at Waterworld.

He said: “Freedom Leisure has confirmed that there are outstanding long-term problems with the lift, which has been out of order since October 3rd, and the jacuzzi, which has been closed since June 2016 due to a leaking roof and ‘significant’ health and safety concerns. The lift being out of order is a real problem in terms of enabling people with disabilities or prams to access the leisure facilities. The reason given – a lack of replacement parts – doesn’t excuse a four-month delay.

“My question to the council was whether it was monitoring the situation and about the £1 million loan it received from the Welsh Government to make improvements to Waterworld prior to Freedom Leisure taking control. It now emerges the £1m has not yet been spent so I would hope that getting the lift and other failures fixed is a priority.

“Handing over such an important service such as leisure to an outside firm shouldn’t mean the council can wash its hands of any responsibility – which was the council’s initial response to my inquiry. I hope the council and Freedom Leisure will now ensure that a speedy solution is found to enable everyone can fully access and enjoy the facilities.”

Back at the tail end of 2013 external consultants reported to Wrexham Council that Waterworld’s future was with a wrecking ball due to problems there, and a £12m replacement was a better option. It was then decided in 2015 to retain the facility, with the service provision spun out to Freedom.

Freedom were appointed to run Waterworld and other services back in November 2015, with £6m of investment stated at the time across the estate, with £1.2m earmarked for Waterworld alone detailed as being invested in larger gym, new café & reception, changing facilities.