By Alan Healy
Deputy Editor
LOCAL families are paying almost £700 more a year to use leisure facilities in Derry than their counterparts in other council areas, it has emerged.
The disparity came to light at a recent meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee, where councillors were asked to approve its Leisure and Sports Services Pricing Policy and Schedule of Charges 2018/19.
The meeting, held in the Guildhall on Thursday, was told that council aimed to ‘provide value for money leisure and sports services to all its stakeholders including customers, citizens, visitors, clubs, organisations and businesses’.
However, the SDLP councillor Tina Gardiner said that she had concerns over the family rates currently in place at council facilities.
Cllr Gardiner said she currently has to pay £1,000 for a year’s membership for a family of four at the Foyle Arena.
“A hotel would be cheaper than that,” she added.
Cllr Gardiner said that it was ‘significantly cheaper’ for the same family membership of a council leisure facility in Maghera, which was £350 a year.
(FULL STORY TODAY'S DERRY NEWS)
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