North Somerset Lib Dem News
return to headline pageScotch Horn Swimming Pool
Letter from Cllr Andy Cole, Chairman of the Community Services Policy and Scrutiny Panel to NSDC
Unfortunately I was on holiday when the executive decision was announced to deprive the residents of Nailsea and the surrounding area of ever having a new swimming pool. As chairman of the Community Survices Policy and Scrutiny Panel which conducted the working group investigation into the feasibility of a new pool at Scotch Horn or properly upgrading Backwell pool. I would like to give my opinion on that decision.
First the headline figure that the cost to the N.S.C. would be £5 million pounds is not substantiated. During the working group investigations, interim estimates from the private sector were that a new pool at Scotch Horn would cost no more than£4 million pounds. Also with the present down turn in the economy and with a competitive tendering process for a new pool the actual costs could have been even lower.
Professional advice from officers at N.S.C. regarding the possibility of obtaining lottery funding or accessing grants to finance a new pool were a non starter; these options are now not accessible. So in reality N.S.C. would have to provide most of the funding for a new pool.
The status quo over many years in reality has meant N.S.C. spending millions of pounds of extra expenditure on a swimming pool past its sell by date at Backwell and will spend even more money over the long term sticking to the same strategy. It is far more cost effective to build a modern swimming facility at Scotch Horn which is the natural location for a swimming pool where all the wet and dry facilities would be under one roof. Nailsea, Backwell and Wraxall have a population greater than Clevedon or Portishead yet has the worst swimming pool. The logic of this argument has been endorsed by independent consultants during a previous all party working group about five years ago which also recommended that a new pool should be built at Nailsea.
Other advantages of locating a new pool at Scotch Horn are numerous and obvious. Annual savings from having all wet and dry facilities in one leisure centre would save the council at least £250,000. The council would receive increased income through higher visitor numbers. N.S.C. could expect a contractor contribution towards a new pool in exchange for a longer contract. Nearly everybody who uses Backwell pool has to travel by some form of transport. A pool at scotch Horn would mean that most people could walk to have a swim. Nailsea Town Council would probably make some financial contribution to a new pool. Some Nailsea schools that cannot use Backwell because of the time, distance and cost would use a new pool at Scotch Horn, for example Nailsea Comprehensive school.
A failure of N.S.C. since its inception under all political administrations is not producing a medium to long term swimming pool strategy as many other local authorities do. A proper 10 year swimming pool strategy would clearly outline when and what expenditure would be spent on upgrading or replacing swimming pools in North Somerset. To let facilities full into decline is false economy and will cost N.S.C. more tax payers’ money in the long term. You can equate this scenario with maintaining the roads, spend very little and the roads will become sub standard, in the long term more expenditure will be required to restore neglect.
My final concern alludes to the possibility of Nailsea and Backwell having no swimming pool at all in the medium to long term. There will be no money spent on upgrading Backwell pool; money will only be spent on basic maintenance to keep the pool operational. This has been the advice from officers at N.S.C. In due course if the expansion of Long Ashton becomes a reality with around 9000 new homes then it is entirely feasible that Backwell pool will close and a new pool could be built in Long Ashton.
District Cllr Andy Cole.
Nailsea East