Exeter leaders have been told a ‘done deal’ community swimming pool closure plan strikes a blow at disabled children, old people, low-income families, women and the lonely.
Exeter City Council is being warned that closing one of the city’s swimming pools will have ‘real-world impacts’ on local people, writes local democracy reporter Guy Henderson.
A report prepared after consulting Northbrook pool users says: “Older people, school children including those with special educational needs and disabilities, carers and lower income families are likely to be most impacted by a closure.”
The report will be considered by a special meeting of the council’s customer focus scrutiny committee next week (June 23).
Pool users recently handed a 2,000-signature petition to a full meeting of the council, and there have been protests outside the Guildhall.
Protests have been held in Exeter, campaigning against proposals to close Northbrook swimming pool, in Beacon Heath.
Photo: Guy Henderson/LDRS.
The council says it may need to close the pool to save money, but the users claim a priceless community facility will be lost if it shuts. They also say councillors have not been given full information on which to base their decision, and they fear the closure was already a ‘done deal’ long before the six-week consultation began.
They say the pool would be better used if it was open for longer hours.
Protesters took to the city to fight to save Northbrook swimming pool in Exeter.
Photo: Guy Henderson/LDRS.
City councillors voted unanimously last week to examine the matter in detail at the special scrutiny meeting next Monday, and the campaigners have been promised time to put their case.
The city council says the pool is underused and has expensive repair and maintenance issues. Its closure would help meet a savings target of £3.5 million as it tries to balance its books.
The report says: “The low membership and the resulting low income have impacted Northbrook’s long-term viability when combined with projected costs in repair and on-going costs to maintain the building, meaning that the facility was identified for potential closure as a cost saving measure to deliver a balanced budget.”
The largest number of people responding to the survey were older, casual pool users and predominantly women. More than half of them had long-term health conditions and said they would have trouble getting to other pools around the city.
People taking part in the survey had a ‘strong emotional connection’ to Northbrook and talked about a ‘sense of community’.
One said: “Northbrook epitomises a community resource which is personal, supportive, encouraging and provides opportunities to build social relationships with other users.”
Another added: “It’s such a lovely pool, with a wonderful feel. For some is the only interaction they have all day.”
The report on the consultation, which will form a major part of the meeting, says the pool is a ‘strongly emotive subject’ for users.
It goes on: “It is clear from the themes which emerged that if the pool closes, it will have real-world impacts on many of those users.
More than 300 people took part in the consultation, and the report says some of them would find it hard to get to other city pools if Northbrook closed.
