Councils blame rising prices for drop in swimming pool temperatures

More than one in seven councils have lowered swimming pool temperatures prior to now 5 years, new figures have revealed.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by the BBC discovered 15% of councils had lowered pool temperatures since 2020, with rising vitality prices taking a lot of the blame.

The Local Government Association (LGA) mentioned council funds remained in a “fragile position”, with virtually 1 / 4 of councils in England decreasing or closing leisure companies.

However, critics concern it may put some individuals off swimming. Tiffany Watson, who used to swim to assist her muscular dystrophy, urged councils to rethink.

Of the 256 councils who responded to BBC FOIs, 39 had lowered pool temperatures prior to now 5 years.

In complete, 33 native authorities had completely lowered the temperature of at the very least one principal or learner pool.

No council lowered the goal temperature of their swimming pools by extra that one diploma, or beneath the rules given by the Pool and Water Treatment Advisory Group, a pool requirements physique.

These advocate that swimming pools needs to be 27C to 29C for leisure swimming and grownup instructing, and 29C to 31C for kids’s instructing.

Mrs Watson, 55, who lives in south-west England, has a uncommon kind of muscular dystrophy known as central core illness.

She stopped swimming as a result of decrease pool temperatures.

“I used to come out and I couldn’t get warm,” she mentioned.

Central core illness is a genetic situation affecting the muscle groups, normally resulting in weak point within the muscle groups closest to the centre of the physique, equivalent to hips and shoulders.

Swimming is a non-weight-bearing train, making it very best for Mrs Watson. For 10 years, she swam 5 occasions per week.

She mentioned: “I can walk in a pool like a normal person. I feel normal in a pool. I look like every other swimmer in there.”

However, her pool grew to become “far too cold” for her to proceed her classes.

“Anyone with muscle wasting, they’re slower in the water,” she mentioned.

“Being slower, you get colder quicker.”

She mentioned she advised pool employees over a interval of months the pool was too chilly however was met with “a number of excuses”.

Eventually she determined swimming was not serving to her well being, and he or she needed to cease, which she mentioned had contributed to her strolling getting worse.

She mentioned she believed the decrease pool temperatures have been “an easy way to spend less money”, and urged councils: “Please don’t do it – look at the other options.”

More than 30 councils that completely or quickly lowered pool temperatures mentioned they did so as a result of rise in vitality prices following Covid and the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine.

Since the beginning of 2019, the typical price of electrical energy for non-domestic customers has greater than doubled, rising from 12.9 p/kWh to twenty-eight.39 p/kWh in 2023.

Additionally, 5 native authorities gave sustainability and internet zero targets as a key issue within the choice to decrease temperatures.

An LGA spokesperson mentioned “rising energy and operational costs” have been forcing councils to scale back or shut leisure services.

They added that regardless of “tough spending decisions” confronted by the federal government, extra funding was wanted to assist “essential preventative services which benefit the health of the nation, such as swimming pools”.

A Department of Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson mentioned the federal government was “absolutely committed to building a healthier nation and reducing pressure on our NHS”.

They added they have been working with the game and leisure sector as a part of a £400m pledge to assist grassroots services, promote “health, wellbeing and community cohesion” and assist “remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups”.