A SWIMMING instructor has accused council chiefs of trying to stop him giving private lessons to learner swimmers at Skipton's Aireville Pool by increasing pool hire charges by more than 50 per cent.

He claimed the council had a "hidden agenda" and added he was the only person affected by the rise in charges.

Tony Daggert, who runs the Adult Basic Learn to Swim classes at the pool, asked Craven District Council to re-think increasing charges for private hire of the pool earlier this year.

However, at a meeting of the council's regeneration and development committee on Wednesday, members upheld officer recommendations to increase the private hire charges for the pool by 60 per cent from £30 per hour to £55 per hour.

Mr Daggert, a retired Craven College lecturer, presented financial statistics to the committee to back his case and said the figures the council was working to were incorrect.

He told the council: "On and off I have been using the pools in Skipton for almost 60 years. The council has never provided Adult Learn to Swim classes.

"I took over the running of the classes after Craven College found them not to be financially viable, and as a result of my efforts they are now viable. I have been providing a public service for 10 years and in that time I have taught hundreds of adults to swim."

Coun Ken Hart supported Mr Daggert and said he remembered what a fuss had been made when charges at Skipton Town Hall had been raised not so long since.

"Now we're being asked to put up the private hire charges for the pool by 60 per cent! I think it could have been done in a much better way. We could have done it over three years."

He added he was glad Greg Robinson, head of operational services, had given the assurance the increase would not affect any of the local swimming clubs, but added he could not vote in favour of the rise.

"I've heard how the charges must go up, but you have got to remember that the pool is going downhill in terms of services. It is being run down with tiles and stuff dropping off it and here we are asking people to pay exorbitant rent for the hire of such a facility, " added Coun Hart.

Coun Peter Seward said: "I think the proposed increase is excessive. We have just employed a sports development officer and now we are getting rid of the people who teach the sport in the first place. People are not going to be able to afford to pay these charges!"

And Coun Paul English added: "Craven in particular has a high percentage of drownings especially at places like Bolton Abbey and the River Wharfe. We should be encouraging people to learn to swim full stop."

Despite several councillors showing their opposition to the increase, the committee voted in favour of the recommendation to increase the charges.

Coun David Crawford said: "If people want to learn to swim they must be prepared to pay for the full cost of learning to swim. Too many people think someone else should pick up the bill today for learning."

Coun Helen Firth added: "I think we have a duty to our rate payers to cover as many costs as we can do. I have read the paper and heard what Mr Daggert has said and I think we should approve the recommendation."