Silence, Secrets, and Subterfuge: Why is Leeds City Council Hiding the Truth?
- Gareth Twohey
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
First and foremost, we want to say a massive thank you to our community. In the last four weeks alone, our posts have been viewed by over 210,000 people, with over 17,000 interactions—the vast majority coming from right here in the Leeds City Region.
It’s rare for a small, local, not-for-profit sports club to see that kind of engagement. It sends a clear message. However, despite this overwhelming wave of support, Leeds City Council has remarkably claimed that there is "no public interest" in our requests for information. We disagree. We think 210,000 views in a single month is the very definition of public interest.
We have therefore taken the decision to release in full (with redactions of names and contact details) the council's rejection of our Freedom of Information request, and our response to that.
It's a long read; however, we feel that it's important to shine a light on the council and its leadership team, who are, in our view, willfully failing in their statutory duties.
To be clear, the Freedom of Information Act was introduced so that the general public can hold the public sector to account. Leeds City Council is attempting to prevent the release of information that may prove damaging to the council, and which may prove that they have failed in their statutory duties. Which is the very reason the act was introduced.
The council is trying to censor the club, and we will fight them every step of the way.
Transparency vs. Tactics
We have chosen to publish our exchanges with the Council because, to this date, they have:
Refused to engage.
Refused to meet.
Refused to speak.
Actively briefed against the club.
To be clear: the details within our emails to the Council represent our considered and informed view. They are based on the documented actions of Council officials and a total lack of transparency.
We acknowledge that the Council is restricted in its ability to reply publicly; however, we extend this standing offer: if we have published anything that they believe is factually incorrect, and they provide evidence to that effect, we will immediately issue a public correction and withdraw the comments.
A Public Asset, Not a Private Monopoly
Throughout this process, Morley Waterpolo Club has attempted to negotiate directly with Leisure Services in private. Instead of finding a compromise, the Council has chosen to escalate. In our view, they have abused the trust placed in them by the residents of Leeds.
There seems to be an attitude within the halls of the Civic Hall that Morley Leisure Centre is "theirs" to do with as they please. It isn't. It is an asset owned by the residents of Leeds, for the benefit of the residents of Leeds.
The "Average Fee" Myth
The false narrative being peddled by Leisure Services—that Morley Waterpolo Club was paying "below average fees"—is designed purely to delegitimize our rightful concerns about fair treatment. It is also demonstrably untrue.
Let’s look at the real math:
A child training at our club pays £6.50 per hour (and we are a not-for-profit run by volunteers).
That same child pays just over £3 for a general swim.
If that child is in the Swimming Development Squads, they can pay as little as £2.75 per hour. (Paid Coaches)
The Council’s claim that we aren't paying our fair share is unjustifiable. The very fact that they are now rejecting lawful Freedom of Information requests to hide the data they used to make these claims should be deeply concerning to every citizen in this city. If the numbers supported the Council’s position, they would show them. Instead, they’ve gone to ground.
Help Us Hold Them Accountable
We aren't going anywhere. We are fighting for the future of our club and for the principle that public officials should not be allowed to manufacture "facts" to suit their agenda.
Please share this post far and wide. Let’s show the powers that be that there is, without a doubt, a massive public interest in whether or not our Council is telling the truth.
To be clear, we value our public sector workers, we value our leisure centre workers, and therefore, we expect everyone reading this post to be respectful and to rise above the conduct of the council by simply being polite, honest, and open, which are the qualities we expect of public servants.
PLEASE SHARE AND COMMENT: Let's get our campaign to 500,000 views so that the council can't continue to state that there isn't any public interest.
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