The decision to close the NSC’s gym and spa earlier at weekends has been defended by the Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) Minister.
An urgent question was tabled by Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse at the House of Keys this week regarding the decision by the NSC to close the gym and spa facilities earlier at weekends.
From January 4, the gym will close at 5pm rather than 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays while the spa will close at 4pm rather than 7pm on the two days.
The NSC says the decision was taking due to there being such low demand for the use of the facilities at those times.
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DESC Minister Daphne Caine said: ‘Full-time staff will not be impacted by the change and customers were given 31 days’ notice.’
When asked if the department was informed before the decision was taken, Mrs Caine said it was an operational matter for the NSC and not a policy change.
She added: ‘There will be a small saving in staff time and energy but this was not the reason for the change. The usage during these times is considerably lower, by 75 per cent in some cases.’
But the decision has angered some users who claim the reduced access will have an impact on their mental health, particularly as the it will mean shortened hours for the island’s only public spa suite.
In an email to MHKs, a group of NSC gym users said: ‘This is totally wrong on so many levels and this unilateral decision, taken without any consultation with paying members and/or users of the NSC, must be scrapped.
‘Removing six hours of access at weekends to the spa suite and gym is totally wrong and is particularly awful for hardworking people in the Isle of Man who often can only get the (health) benefits of sauna use at weekends, specifically late afternoon/early evening on a Saturday or Sunday.’
‘Suicide is a real and serious problem in our society - the community spirit engendered in the spa suite and the social interaction, married with the physical and mental health benefits, makes a six-hour reduction in weekend availability totally unacceptable.’