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SPN DEC 2010 ShowsRoundup


www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk COMMERCIAL POOL OWNERS


UNDER ‘UNBEARABLE’ PRESSURE The three day Leisure Industry Week exhibition at the NEC reflected the anxieties of larger pool owners over the future of local authority swimming pools in the face of the Government’s spending cuts and how they could guarantee swimming facilities for the public


By Alan Lewis M


anagers in charge of local authority swimming pools throughout the UK will be under almost unbearable pressure over


the next 12 months – that was the message to come from the Leisure Industry Week (LIW) three day show in Birmingham.


The NEC event again attracted a considerable number of visitors from larger commercial swimming pools to the pool and spa sector within the national leisure show.


LIW has always focussed on the larger pool providers and the 2010 event was set against a tough background of cost control and public sector savings. The exhibition was only weeks before the Government’s spending review which announced public spending cuts of £81bn by 2014-15.


One specialist pool industry exhibitor summed up the feeling of the show when he said: “We have come to LIW to meet the commercial pool sector but it’s a bad time. There are some people who do know they have to cut costs and don’t know how to do it and others who just don’t know if they will have a job or not. It is a difficult time for the commercial sector.”


The views of commercial managers at the show certainly reflected the anxiety which is hanging over many pools throughout the country. Mark Durrant is in charge of a number of Birmingham’s local authority pools. “It’s unclear how the cuts will affect us but we are under pressure to increase prices to improve revenue. It is also clear that we have to attract more people into the pools. We know there are


issues in some pools which will in the next few years need renovation and repairs. I am not sure it will be possible to find the money to carry such work out and that will put a question mark about smaller local authority pools being able to stay open. I think swimming facilities will always be available for the public but the trend will continue to be that it may be available at the larger pools which are not necessarily as local as some people would like.”


Lewisham pool manager Ian Fairclough was at LIW to look at energy saving systems in pools. “If you work in the public sector it’s getting stressful. We have to cut costs if the pools are to stay open and offer swimming facilities. In a way it has focused us on finding improvements, looking at longer term cost savings. No-one is saying it all has to happen now but the day to day cost of running large swimming pools has to come down in the long term and that’s where innovation, technology and new ideas come in.” Another pool centre manager responsible for three pools in North London said he thought the reduced budgets and the need to satisfy consumer demands for safe swimming conditions was likely to put ‘unbearable pressure’ on those running pools.


“The money isn’t there and I know councillors think now that perhaps swimming is too much of a luxury and if we have to close swimming pools or drastically cut back hours the pools are open then that might be better than some of the other options to save money.”


Another LIW visitor said; “We will have to close our pool much more next year. We can’t afford the heating and maintenance bills and the staff cutbacks means we won’t be able to provide an adequate level of pool safety for the public.“ Commercial pools are looking for better maintenance systems at their swimming pools, more efficient systems, more knowledgeable staff and as many ideas as they can to reduce costs . It is known that energy savings and water quality are two of the major headaches for local authority pool owners and managers. LIW’s timing in the build up to the spending


review was a chance for commercial owners to look at the market and see what specialist pool and spa companies had to offer. Leisure Industry Week 2010 has officially reported a significant increase in the number of key decision makers and budget holders attending compared to previous years with over 20% of visitors having purchasing authority in excess of £250k, and over 3% with a budget of over £50k.


Confidence within the private sector is evident with a 30% increase in the number of independent, family or private owned businesses attending across the three days to find the latest products, services and inspiration available to leisure operators.


A spokesman said: “With over 40% of exhibitors confirming their participation for 2011 before the show had closed, LIW continues to deliver a qualified audience from sectors that have the confidence to invest.


Leisure Industry Week was the focus also for the Swimming Pool and Allied Trade Association (SPATA) stand within the pool and spa sector at the NEC. SPATA also staged an education programme seminar at the event. Said SPATA Managing Director Chris Hayes: “We are working again with LIW organisers to promote SPATA to a wider commercial audience. An education programme was held successfully under the SPATA name to encourage commercial clients to understand the role that SPATA members can play in helping with the design and construction of their facilities.”


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