Council to look at cost of funding new pools

The decision was taken today at an executive meeting which heard details of a consultants’ report into Bradford’s sport and leisure facilities.

It follows a statement by Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the executive member for environment and culture, that the Council had rejected the consultants’ recommendation that four swimming pools in Bingley, Manningham and Queensbury as well as Richard Dunn Sports Centre at Odsal, should close.

The consultants were commissioned to review all the Council’s sports facilities and concluded there were too many pools but nothing central. As well as suggesting the four closures it advises developing an eight-lane competition standard pool in the city centre.

In the face of mounting public pressure and a flood of support for the Telegraph & Argus’s Save Our Swimming campaign, the Council issued a statement saying no decision had been made about any closures, building or refurbishment.

Today Jane Glaister, the Council’s strategic director of culture, tourism and sport, told the executive that when a sports and physical activity strategy was produced last year, a comprehensive and independent review of current provision would take place assessing sports facilities in the district – and this consultants’ report was that.

She said: “The assessment has been carried out using methods recommended by Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMA). The key objectives of the study were to identify local needs and to identify any deficiencies or surpluses in both dry and wet sports provision.

“I would just like to make it clear that this assessment is being provided to help debate.”

Coun Hawkesworth said: “We, as a Council, do have ambitions. We have an ambition to produce high-quality facilities for use by residents throughout the district.

“One of the objectives is that we have a high-quality competition pool in the city centre which will help with the regeneration of the city. We also have a desire that the community pools within the Bradford district are improved.

“There is no question with some of the facts in the assessment. Some of our pools, and particularly those that are identified, are not up to the quality that we would expect.”

She asked that Council officers look in detail at any possible funding to help create improved community facilities in Bingley and Bradford South and also a larger competition pool in the centre of Bradford.

“Before people can actually compete they have to learn how to swim and we mustn’t forget how important community pools are in this,” she said A further report from the consultants is expected next month.

Hundreds of people have signed the Save Our Swimming petition which calls on the Council to reject the consultants’ proposal and to draw up plans to refurbish or rebuild the facilities as well as to construct a new city centre pool.

Speaking after the meeting, Labour group leader Councillor Ian Greenwood said he believed the people of the district are entitled to know what the Tory-run Council really had in store for the future of swimming pools in the district.

“We would want to make it absolutely clear that the Labour group would keep those pools open and build a new pool in the city centre. Indeed the city centre pool has been a feature of our budget for the last five years,” he said.

“We believe the Conservatives’ unwillingness to be clear about their policy on this means they intend to close the pools by stealth over time.”

Liberal Democrat group deputy leader, Councillor David Ward, said: “Until we know more about the plan to deliver free swimming to everyone by 2012 – in terms of what Government support there is for that plan – I find it very difficult to commit to any particular facility in any particular part of Bradford.

“I would assume if it’s part of the Olympic legacy there will be funding attached to it and if so, then the sky is the limit.

“The affordability of what we have and where we have it depends on the funding available.”