A late Glenrothes councillor’s legacy will live on in the name of the town’s new sports and leisure centre after the result of a public poll was ignored.
Councillors have agreed that the £21m replacement of the Fife Institute should be named the ‘Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre’ in memory of a former elected member who died after a long battle with cancer in 2008.
But while recognising Mr Woods’ contribution to the town will be welcomed by many, there was an air of discontent during Wednesday’s Glenrothes area committee after Labour members suggested there were political motives behind the move.
The decision to honour Mr Woods, an SNP councillor for 15 years, came despite a public vote which favoured naming the centre the ‘Glenrothes Sports and Leisure Centre’.
While acknowledging Mr Woods as a “superb councillor”, Labour’s Kay Morrison accused council leader Peter Grant of ignoring public opinion and trying to “politicise the issue in an almost shameless fashion”.
This prompted an angry response.
Mr Grant, who suggested naming the centre after his friend, described Mr Woods as a “hell of a difficult act to follow” after inheriting part of his Pitteuchar ward, and said locals would be “extremely puzzled and disappointed” if the honour was not bestowed.
“The simple fact is that nobody did more to ensure that there was going to be a sports centre in Glenrothes than Michael Woods,” Mr Grant argued, in reference to Mr Woods’ campaign several years ago when it was thought the institute land could be sold for housing.
“If it had not been for his intervention, there is a very strong possibility that the institute would have been lost to Glenrothes forever.”
He added: “The institute still feels part of Pitteuchar and Michael was the councillor for Pitteuchar he got the biggest percentage share of the vote of any party in any of the ward areas in the whole of Scotland and we’re talking about someone whose record of looking after his community cannot be questioned.
“The town deserves something a wee bit more imaginative than the Glenrothes Sports and Leisure Centre.”
Ms Morrison had opened discussions by accepting the result of the public vote and suggesting areas within the centre could be named after individuals, citing Mr Woods and former Labour councillor Elizabeth Henderson as candidates.
But after Mr Grant’s plea for the centre to be named after Mr Woods, Ms Morrison said she was “very disappointed”.
She said: “I can’t possibly collaborate in this attempt to rewrite history. I too believe Michael Woods was a superb councillor and he worked very hard for his community, his ward and his constituents there’s no doubt about that.
“But we asked people who use the Fife Institute what they think and we have a clear result. I would much prefer to show these people some respect and take their views seriously, or is this another consultation that we’re going to ignore?”
However SNP councillor John Beare said: “Michael Woods is the person who saved the Fife Institute for Glenrothes full stop. If it was up to the previous Labour administration, it would have ended up somewhere off a dual carriageway belonging to neither Kirkcaldy or Glenrothes.
“There’s no rewriting history going on and to suggest otherwise is contemptible.”
Party colleague Ross Vettraino said he was also convinced by Mr Grant’s case, adding: “The people of Fife and Glenrothes are only too happy to have a facility what it’s called doesn’t matter to them.
“There is no doubt whatsoever that had it not been for Michael Woods then this committee, instead of granting planning permission for a new sports and leisure facility, could have been granting planning permission for a residential housing development.”
The decision came after Glenrothes Sports and Leisure Centre won 43% of the vote almost twice the support for the Michael Woods Sports and Leisure Centre with 22%. The status quo received 21% of votes, with other suggestions making up the remaining 14%.
Councillor also heard that the Glenrothes Sports and Leisure Centre was the preferred name of the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, who said it would maximise marketing opportunities and reach out to the widest possible demographic.
However, Mr Grant was not convinced by that.
He said: “People don’t go to the Glasgow Football Park or the Edinburgh Rugby Stadium they go to Ibrox, they go to Hampden, they go to Murrayfield.”
Councillors voted 5-3 in favour of naming the centre after Mr Woods.