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Wakefield anger at swimming hours cut
HOURS CUT: Pontefract.
Angry parents are furious at Wakefield Council’s plans to slash swimming pool opening hours.
Opening times at some of the district’s eight pools are to be cut from April 1 as the authority bids to save £100,000 from its sport service budget this year.
Council-run pools are under threat of partial closure at Castleford, Featherstone, Knottingley, Lightwaves at Wakefield, Minsthorpe, Normanton and Pontefract.
Cash-strapped Town Hall chiefs say they have no choice but to consider closing some pools on certain days while a nearby pool remains open.
But parents say swimming pools are key community amenities and should be exempt from council cuts.
Mother-of-two Faye Burrell, 33, of Outwood, Wakefield, is a qualified swimming instructor who runs Puddle Ducks swim school for under fives.
She said: “Swimming is a vital life saving skill that children must learn. Parents aren’t going to travel too far to go swimming. You want to know your local leisure centre is open when you decide to take your kids swimming. It will be difficult trying to remember which pool is open on which day.”
Mother-of-two Sharon Davis, 43, from Pontefract, said: “This is going to have an impact on the amount of exercise children enjoy.”
The mother-of-two added: “They should be doing more to promote sport for children.”
Claire Hewitt, 44, of Pontefract, said: “I’m very disappointed. My kids are aged 14 and 16 and use the pool at Pontefract regularly, especially during school holidays. Swimming helps keep them fit and out of trouble - I can’t afford to send them to other towns.”
Coun David Dagger, Cabinet member for culture, sport and libraries, said: “We have to reduce our spending, we simply have no choice.
“Our sport and active lifestyle service has to make over £100,000 savings this year alone. By looking at the opening hours of some of our facilities we hope that we can keep all our leisure centres open, safeguard jobs and still offer our customers an excellent service.”
Coun Dagger added: “We will make every effort to minimise the disruption this may cause for those who use these facilities and will be working with staff, customers and user groups before any new opening times are decided.”
Wakefield Council started talks with leisure centre staff this week and say users groups will be contacted as soon as possible.
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