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SPN FEB 2010 COMPLETE EDITION:SPN 2010 21/01/2010 06:20 Page 30
30 SPN FEB 2010 PoolClosures www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
POOL CLOSURES FOR REPAIRS
REACH RECORD NUMBERS
LOCAL AUTHORITY CUT BACKS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS HAVE MEANT LITTLE
OR NO INVESTMENT IN MAINTAINING OR REFURBISHING SWIMMING POOLS. THE
PROBLEM NOW IS THAT SOME POOLS HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO CLOSE DOWN
FOR WHAT HAVE BECOME ESSENTIAL REPAIRS. IT�S NOT A NEW PROBLEM BUT AT
THE START OF 2010 THE RESULT IS A RECORD NUMBER OF CLOSURES
record number of local authority swimming pools Another example
have started the New Year closed or facing is at Suffolk Coastal
closure with councils unable to find the budgets District Council
Ato make essential repairs. which is installing a
At the end of 2009, a total of 43 pools were closed new boiler system at
awaiting repairs of some sort with another 40 waiting for Deben Swimming
funds to be available before shutting down pools for Pool in Woodbridge
renovation work. which means a closure of four
The pool problems range from unsafe ceilings and weeks.
structural defects to more common problems of filter The district council is spending
replacements, new boilers, damaged tiles and general �75,000 on the new boiler system
essential maintenance. and other minor refurbishments.
A spokesman for the Local Authorities Association said Kingsbury Swimming Pool, at
that budget cuts over the past three or four years had Kingsbury School in north
meant many swimming pools had been neglected and that Warwickshire, could face closure next
basic running repairs had been abandoned until the year if alternative means to provide its
problem became so bad the pools had to close. �50,000 per annum running costs cannot
�It will be seen as false economy in many ways but be found.
many local authorities have had to cut back on Now campaigners are urging locals to
maintenance and some pools have gone five years with no submit their views before council chiefs
servicing, no new replacements and no investment. It was meet to discuss the situation later this
a problem waiting to happen. Closing swimming pools for month.
essential repairs has pushed local authority costs millions Warwickshire county councillor Brian Moss
of pounds over budget,� he added. said: �No pool makes a profit. The county
He said that many local authority pools had struggled council said it would try to find other parties
through since the start of the recession. It was clear repairs to get involved, but I can�t see anybody
were needed but they just couldn�t be afforded. wanting to take on a swimming pool � it�s not a
�In so many cases things have just caught up with the profitable thing.�
pools. Closure for some period of time has been inevitable. More than 500 children attend swimming lessons
Too many are still being patched up and will not have the at the venue, which is also used by swimmers with
full repairs they need,� he added. disabilities, elderly people and diving groups. It is
Typical of the problem is in Derby where two city centre home to Kingsbury Aquarius Swimming Club, whose
pools closed for several weeks for essential maintenance swimmers have represented Birmingham, Warwickshire
work. The cost to the council in lost income is estimated to be and England.
around �27,000. Councillor Moss said a key issue was one of safety,
In addition, minor overspends, staffing costs due to noting: �We have the River Tame and Kingsbury Water
sickness, maternity leave, suspensions and restructuring Park here. It�s important that our children are able to
have pushed up the costs, leaving the department facing a swim. The nearest other pool is in Atherstone, eight miles
�132,000 overspend at the end of the year. away, but all its slots are full.�
�There is an ongoing issue around maintenance and at In February, Warwickshire County Council announced
the moment we are forced to do reactive maintenance budgetary pressures meant it could not fund the pool
work. We are well aware that there is a four or five-year from March 2010.
lifespan and we have to review leisure centres across the A spokesman said this week: �Due to budget cuts, we
city.� now have to look at ways in which we can keep the
In May, the family pool at Queens Leisure Centre was swimming pool open.
shut while repairs were carried out. �We have secured funding to keep it open for another
The council then closed Moorways Swimming Pool for year while discussions take place.�
three weeks so work could be carried out, which included He said the pool�s running costs currently totalled about
replacing the filters for both the teaching and main pools �50,000 per year, not including expenditure on repairs or
along with pipe work for the teaching pool. unforeseen bills. spn
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