Council’s plan to evict Bearsden indoor bowlers to be raised at Scottish Parliament

Milngavie MSP Gil Paterson has submitted a motion seeking a debate condemning East Dunbartonshire Council for going against its promise to provide facilities for the group who have been playing at the centre for the past 40 years.

More than 2,000 people have signed a petition objecting to the decision.

In the motion submitted last week, Mr Paterson calls on the Parliament to condemn the Liberal Democrat and Conservative administration of East Dunbartonshire Council for deciding to renege on a 10-year commitment that bowling facilities would be included in the new Allander Leisure Centre.

SNP MSP Mr Paterson said: “There have been bowling facilities at the Allander Leisure Centre for the past 40 years and the bowling club has 300 members. It’s the only indoor bowling facility in East Dunbartonshire and it serves a much wider area than Bearsden and Milngavie.

“East Dunbartonshire Council has an obligation to provide facilities and services in East Dunbartonshire to enhance the health and wellbeing of its older citizens. This retrograde step should be reversed.”

He added that the council had an “obligation to provide facilities and services to enhance the health and wellbeing of its older citizens.”

Independent Bearsden North Councillor Duncan Cumming is also furious at the decision by the joint administration not to provide “like for like” services at the new Allander Centre, where work is due to start next year.

After the meeting at council HQ last month when Tory/Lib Dem councillors led the vote to evict the bowlers, Allander Indoor Bowling Club’s honorary president John Harvey said the club felt the council had been stringing them along despite past assurances any new building would mean ‘like for like’ facilities.

Council officers say the income generated by the indoor hall would not justify the expense of including it.