Wave of Discontent over Swimming Sessions

When is a swimming pool not a swimming pool?

When it’s a “fun-filled water attraction”, it seems.

At least that is the answer Swansea Council is providing to those unhappy that the pool in the city’s new leisure centre will not be offering free sessions to young people and pensioners.

The Assembly Government provides grants to local authorities reimbursing them for concessionary swimming. But Swansea Council says the grant is not enough to offset the contractor’s loss of revenue, and as a result the free sessions will not take place.

Swansea West AM Andrew Davies, the Assembly Government’s Finance Minister, said, “The Liberal Democrat-run Swansea Council has once again shown that the devil is in the detail and that the new swimming pool apparently doesn’t fit the criteria of ‘swimming and physical exercise’.

“It is crackers to argue that the Leisure Centre would not be suitable for the free swimming initiative just because the Lib-Dems are trying to get out of a mess by classing it as a ‘fun filled water attraction’.

“I am looking forward to the new centre opening but, because of Swansea council’s desperate cash saving measures, they are penalising those that will benefit the most.”

back