Last week it was confirmed that Council-run Splashes Sports Centre will be making a wave of redundancies, just two months after the Full Council was asked to approve a £5 million redevelopment plan – without mention to the possibility of future redundancies.

The Medway Labour and Co-operative Group gave cautious cross-party support to the redevelopment at the July Full Council meeting where the budget was approved, citing real concerns regarding the practicalities of this financial commitment amidst the current public health guidelines. However, at no point was the Labour group made aware of the potential for job cuts prior to the vote.

Cllr Andy Stamp, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group’s spokesperson for Regeneration and Communities said that, ‘It’s really disappointing to see these redundancies take place just months after we were asked to vote on a redevelopment of this scale. The loss of employment for Medway residents is always unwelcome, but this information would have shaped the nature of our vote back in July.’

Cllr Naushabah Khan, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group’s spokesperson for Employment added, ‘My thoughts go out those being made redundant and their families at this difficult time. I echo my colleague Cllr Stamp’s comments that we absolutely should have been made aware of the possibility of redundancies prior to approving the redevelopment. It really is saddening to see Medway residents lose their jobs at such a challenging time, and I urge the Council to provide these individuals with the support they deserve.’