Council debate for at-risk outdoor centre
Friends of High BorransMore than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for the preservation of a much-loved outdoor education centre, sparking a future council debate.
North Tyneside Council has been urged to make a U-turn on its decision to close Cumbria-based High Borrans by November.
The Labour-led local authority has confirmed the petition, which has amassed 2,410 signatures, will be included in next month's full council meeting.
A spokesperson for the council said campaigners were "searching for an answer that may never arrive".
The council's decision to close the centre, in Windermere, has generated debate both publicly and politically since the Local Democracy Reporting Service first reported it in early July.
The local authority has cited a £3m investment need, a decline in school trips, and the centre's reliance on subsidies as reasons for its lack of viability.
The petition states: "Outdoor education is not an optional extra. It is an essential part of a well-rounded education. Experiences beyond the classroom challenge young people in ways that cannot be replicated through textbooks or screens."
'Financial challenges'
A member of the Save High Borrans Campaign and Conservative councillor John Johnsson said: "The incredible response to the petition demonstrates just how strongly people feel about saving High Borrans. The mayor and her cabinet need to take notice of that strength of feeling and reconsider their position.
"The campaign group are realistic. They understand the financial challenges facing the council, and nobody is pretending there are easy answers. What we are asking for is a pause in the closure process to give us the time and opportunity to properly explore whether there is a viable alternative."
A spokesperson for the ruling Labour group said: "There is still no credible, costed proposal for funding the repairs or making the centre financially sustainable. The council cannot simply dither and delay at the taxpayers' expense while campaigners continue searching for an answer that may never arrive.
"Two months after the decision was made, not even a remotely credible proposal has been produced. Asking taxpayers to keep picking up the bill indefinitely while perfectly good alternatives with sufficient capacity already exist is not a plan."
According to the council's constitution, the petition organiser will be given five minutes to present the petition, followed by a discussion by councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes.