Bradford Council says it will not accept a consultants’ report recommending the closure of up to four swimming pools in the district.

But the controlling executive has stopped short of completely ruling out possible closures and says that some “ageing buildings” may be closed “eventually”.

The statement comes in the face of mounting public opposition to the possible closures of pools at Bingley, Manningham and Queensbury and the non-replacement of the pool at the Richard Dunn Centre under plans for the Odsal Sporting Village.

The recommendations – along with the suggestion that a new showpiece pool should be built in the city centre – were put forward by the Manchester-based consultants who were commissioned to review all the Council’s sports and leisure facilities.

Now the Council’s executive member for environment and culture, Coun Anne Hawksworth, says the leaders will merely “note” the report when it comes up for discussion at the executive meeting later today and will ask officers to complete a “comprehensive mapping” of the existing facilities.

The decision has been cautiously welcomed by Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe who had described the proposals as “ill-considered, short-sighted and damaging.”

The Council’s announcement came as Culture Secretary Andy Burnham told the House of Commons that councils should be “managing other costs” to ensure pool closures “do not happen”.

Hundreds of people have already signed the petition launched as part of the Telegraph & Argus’s Save Our Swimming Campaign, calling on the Council to reject the consultants’ proposals and to draw up plans to refurbish or rebuild the facilities as well as to construct a new ciy centre pool.

Editor Perry Austin-Clarke said: “This is a welcome move by the Council but no-one should run away with the idea that these pools are out of the woods yet.

“Until the Council put forward plans to guarantee their future, one way or the other, as well as the futures of the other community pools across the district, we’ll be pressing on with Save Our Swimming to remind them of just how important our readers feel this is to the future health and well-being of the district.”

Coun Hawksworth’s statement said: “Absolutely no decisions have been made about the closure, building, or refurbishment of any swimming pools or other sports facilities.

"With regard to swimming pools, we do not accept the conclusions of the consultant's report. We have ambitions to provide new first class community facilities for local people. These include considering building new facilities in Bingley and Bradford South and the possibility of securing investment for a showcase competition pool in the city centre. We have asked officers to complete a comprehensive mapping of existing facilities on that basis.

"We have therefore just noted the consultant's report, which will help to inform a much wider public discussion on planning for future sports needs. The report will also help us to secure external funding for any new facilities that are proposed as a result of our consultations.

"We are clear that we want the views of local people and sports groups about how facilities in the district can be improved to provide excellent facilities and services for the future.

"We also want to increase participation in sport across the district and encourage healthy lifestyles. At present many elite athletes and sportsmen and women are unable to train in the district as the facilities they need are not available this is something we must change.

"We will invest in new and improved facilities. New sports centres may be built and some facilities may be refurbished. Ageing buildings may be closed eventually, but only if there are new facilities."

A spokesman for Mr Sutcliffe said: "Gerry welcomes the decision to reject the consultants' proposals and will study any new plans that the Council bring forward. He will be seeking further meetings with the Council leadership to discuss sports provision in Bradford."

The Council's Labour group leader Ian Greenwood said: "The fact that Coun Hawkesworth has said there are no firm plans does not mean closures are not still an option.

"The schools provision for swimming is woefully short of what it should be and we believe that the number of people using pools is set to increase.

"The pools are still at risk. We would not close them, we would build a city centre pool and we would keep other pools and replace them where appropriate.

"They are trying to give the impression that they are not going to close the pools while keeping their options open."

David Ward, the Liberal Democrat group's deputy leader, has previously expressed concern about the cost of the retain-and-refurbish option. He said: "I welcome the report in the sense that it's a starting point but there is still a long way to go. But it is the Council which will have to deliver Government plans for free swimming for all by 2012 and swimming is one of the most expensive leisure services to run."

He also said there is still opportunity within the Building Schools for the Future programme to provide further sports facilities, particularly in phase three.