The news that Knutsford Leisure Centre is no longer at risk of closure is a huge relief and what we have been working so hard to secure.

In November Labour-led Cheshire East Council said it could close the centre and three others citing lack of use. People were rightly angry and upset, and within hours of this announcement being made, my inbox was inundated with messages from residents.

The strength of local opposition was clear from the outset, and now after months of fighting, all our hard work has paid off and our centre is safe.

The council has said it 'is not recommending the closure or part closure of any of our leisure centres'. This is a true testament to people power.

This is happening because people campaigned and did not stop fighting. When the council did a screeching U-turn on the proposals just nine days after its first announcement saying it would look at other ways to save money, people still continued to fight.

This was the right thing to do as we could not be certain the future of our leisure centre was safe until the council made its position clear.

There was always the worry other proposals could be put forward that also included our centre.

On March 11 updated proposals for leisure facilities across the borough will go before Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee.

The council said there will be no mention of closing any leisure centres but as your MP, I will be going through that report with a fine-toothed comb to ensure this is the end of the matter.

I made repeated representations over this issue as did so many residents. I want to thank all the people who took the time to write to me and all those who made representation directly as part of the consultation.

The council was wrong to ever propose possibly closing the centre but I am so pleased it listened to reason, the strength of public opinion, and has now finally done the right thing.