A DECISION to spend £600,000 to keep a sports centre open for now has been welcomed — but opposition councillors say the facility must be kept for good.

Inverclyde Council’s Labour administration have made cash available in their budget to spare Ravenscraig Sports Centre from the axe at the end of March.

The leader of the SNP opposition group, Chris McEleny, has welcomed the move after he led a campaign he claims saved the centre from closure.

But he has also warned that the long-term future of the Larkfield facility is still not secure and that it could yet close once the findings of a feasibility study by centre operators Inverclyde Leisure (IL) are revealed.

Councillor McEleny said: “Their original plans to shut down Ravenscraig were appalling and I’m delighted they have now reversed this decision on the back of the SNP’s ‘Save Ravenscraig’ campaign.

“I’ve no doubt that Ravenscraig has a bright future ahead of it at the heart of the community, however, I would urge caution.

“The Labour leader said in the Telegraph that he did not see the centre ‘as having a long term future’.

“We have a message to the Labour Party going forward — keep your hands off Ravenscraig. The people united to save it before and they will do so again if they have to.” Council leader Stephen McCabe made the £600,000 funding announcement at a meeting on Thursday — a year after it was proposed that the centre would close as part of cost-cutting measures.

The facility will now stay open, but the SNP remain wary.

Mr McEleny said: “The fact is they made the decision to bring the shutters down last year.

“If it wasn’t for a campaign which saw thousands of people get behind it, then I’ve no doubt Labour would have pressed ahead with their plans.” But Labour hit back saying the nationalists failed to make money available to sustain Ravenscraig in their spending plans and that the £600,000 is ‘ring-fenced’, subject to the results of the feasibility report.

Councillor McCabe says the public will also be fully consulted on the outcomes of the report.

He said: “The SNP did not include any funding in their budget proposals for Ravenscraig to remain open.

“We, on the other hand, did include the necessary revenue funding — £62,000 a year — which would allow the centre to continue providing similar activities to those at present.

“I think this demonstrates a greater commitment from the administration than by our opposition.”