‘Pool closures will hurt kids’s swimming expertise’

Concerns have been raised a few decline in kids’s swimming expertise after new figures revealed greater than 20 swimming pools throughout north-west England had closed over the past decade.

A complete of 21 swimming pools have shut within the area since 2014 – the best quantity within the UK – in response to the GMB union.

The commerce union despatched Freedom of Information requests to 12 native councils together with Wirral, Tameside and Blackburn with Darwen, asking for particulars of the variety of swimming pools that had been closed.

The BBC has approached a number of authorities together with Wirral Council, St Helens Council, Tameside Council, and Blackburn with Darwen Council for remark.

National officer Kevin Brandstatter mentioned the quantity was “terrifying” and warned of the potential impression they might have on younger individuals’s security.

“Learning to swim is a basic life skill,” he mentioned.

“Splashing in a pool is a fundamental childhood joy – two things being potentially now denied to thousands of youngsters.”

Councillor Peter Dean, Oldham Council’s cupboard member for tradition and leisure, mentioned 4 older swimming pools had been changed with two new leisure centres in Oldham and Royton after a assessment in 2015.

He mentioned the authority was dedicated to offering accessible and inexpensive swimming for residents and “giving more children the chance to gain this vital life skill in safe, high-quality facilities”.

A Manchester City Council consultant mentioned it had not had a internet lack of swimming pools throughout this era, with Chorlton Baths having closed in 2015 as a result of it was greater than a century previous and not match for objective.

They mentioned it was changed by a brand new facility and pool at Hough End, which opened in 2015.

The council added that, within the meantime, a lot of the town’s leisure centres and swimming pools had been refurbished and a brand new leisure centre with a pool had been in-built Beswick.

Rochdale Council mentioned their swimming pools had been managed by Your Trust and there had been no pool closures throughout this time.

The variety of closures within the area represented about 16% of all swimming swimming pools within the nation, the union mentioned.

Among the closures had been three in Wirral, two in Tameside and two within the Blackburn with Darwen space.

The GMB is a part of a coalition, together with the Local Government Association (LGA) and Swim England, which is looking for extra funding for leisure amenities.

A report from the coalition mentioned 30% of kids at school Year 7 at the moment couldn’t swim 25 metres confidently, which was up from 27% in 2017/18, whereas 60% of swimming pools had been in want of refurbishment or had exceeded their lifespan.

Liz Green, chair of the LGA’s tradition, tourism and sport board, mentioned the advantages to the bodily and psychological well being of these counting on such amenities “can be life-changing, yet without urgent investment we risk losing these altogether”.

Andy Salmon, chief govt of Swim England, mentioned: “If we want to tackle health inequalities and best support a healthier and happier nation then it’s vital we have a network of sustainable pools for people to access.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport mentioned it had pledged £400m to help grassroots leisure amenities.

A consultant mentioned: “We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups.”

Pool closures: Full breakdown by council:

• South Ribble 0
• St Helens 1
• Tameside 2
• Wirral 3
• Chorley 0
• Cheshire East 0
• Trafford 2
• Wigan 0
• West Lancashire 0
• Warrington 0
• Stockport 1
• Rossendale 0
• Salford 0
• Rochdale 1
• Sefton 0
• Ribble Valley 0
• Oldham 4
• Preston 2
• Blackburn with Darwen 2
• Lancaster 0
• Knowsley 0
• Halton 1
• Fylde 0
• Bury 1
• Bolton 0
• Blackpool 0
• Liverpool 0
• Manchester 1
• Preston 0
• Burnley 0
• Cheshire West and Chester 0
• Westmorland and Furness 0
• Wyre 0