Despite Coun Nick Worth's assertion that last year's consultation on leisure options in South Holland found that people wanted to see a new build sport and leisure complex, the final report from consultancy company Leisure-Net Solutions appears to tells a different story.

The Lincolnshire Free Press asked the council for all the data it was given on the consultation and found discrepancies between Leisure-Net's recommendation and the data collected in the consultation.

See report for yourself.

Leisure-Net recommended the council should: "Prioritise the development of modern built provision for active leisure. This should be in the general location of the existing Castle Sports and swimming centres."

However, a street survey of 728 people, which formed a major part of the consultation, found that 35 per cent thought the improvement of existing leisure facilities in South Holland was "very important".

In comparison, only 23 per cent felt building of a new leisure centre to be "very important", a difference of 12 per cent, or 88 people.

Coun Worth admitted that some of the data on the report was "slightly confusing" when compared to the recommendations.

He said: "The recommendation actually suggests new build and that's what we have gone on as opposed to some of the things on the report.

"Their report was slightly confusing but they are leisure professionals and we are going on their recommendations. That's why we employed them."

The Lincolnshire Free Press asked to see the questions asked in the Leisure-Net survey and the precise responses.

Corporate director Andrew Petcher said the consultation was just one of a number of issues taken into consideration by the Cabinet Working Party on Leisure Options when proposing a new leisure centre, but that people have the chance to tell them if the council got it wrong.

He said: "We also had to take into consideration consultations with national governing bodies, financing obviously and planning issues.

"Now with the second phase of consultation we get to go back and ask people 'did we intepret what you told us first time correctly?'"

The council was also provided with another survey of 198 people, this one taken at the Castle Sports Complex, which asked them what users would like to see at a new sports centre but did not ask them whether they wanted to see the existing centre refurbished.

But Mr Petcher added that the term "new sports centre" encompassed all forms of the phrase, which included refurbishment.