Comment: It's not all going swimmingly

Ali Powell • Published 27 Nov 2009 16:00 8 Comments

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Swimming pool closures

WELL we're heading into panto season and it's a big boo and hiss for Reading Borough Council this week.

Readers of my column last week would have heard me singing the council's praises about the free swimming on offer for under 16s and over 60s as part of a Government initiative to help get people active.

Nationwide, the numbers of people using their local swimming pools has soared, and certainly our previously quiet local pool is now almost packed at weekends.

Bearing in mind that I was so gobsmacked when I first heard about the free swimming scheme, not only did I check the council website - where it confirms under 16s can swim for free during public swimming times at the borough's leisure centres - I also rang just to see if this was a one-off or limited in any way and was assured that this offer was amazingly NOT too good to be true.

But now it turns out that it is.

I had an email this week from one family who said: "Enjoyed your column in the Reading Chronicle as usual and in view of the weather last Sunday we were spurred on to packing swimming gear and heading off to Rivermead. However when we mentioned free swimming for the children we got blank looks all round, and had to pay for them."

It turns out that Rivermead Leisure Complex is the only centre in Reading NOT offering free swimming to children although it does offer it to over 60s.

I know it's a "leisure pool" and is managed by Greenwich Leisure Limited on the council's behalf, but the Academy Sport Leisure Centre is also managed on the council's behalf, by the John Madejski Academy and they're offering free swimming.

Bearing in mind that the local authority receives funding from the Government to be able to offer this brilliant initiative, I think it's very misleading and, quite frankly, very unsportsmanlike that Rivermead is not included.

I wonder however, with free swimming on offer at every other pool in the town, how many people will now head to Rivermead and pay for the same privilege? Not me!

apowell@berksmedia.co.uk

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******
Nov 30, 12:45
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MBW
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Dec 1, 20:15
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Free swimmimg great idea. However, who would want to go Swimmimng at the Central pool.

The place is falling apart. The chaging rooms are filthy and the viewing area is in danger of collapsing and as for the ceilng tiles, take a hard hat with you !!

The whole thing is run down and needs to be rebuilt akong with some decent safe parking.

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Samuel
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Dec 2, 09:37
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Damn, not the news I wanted to hear! I live near the central pool and had been planning to try it. Maybe I'll just drive to the Meadway or Highdown...

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Duck and Dive
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Dec 2, 10:03
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I thought Government subsidy for free swims were for Council facilities only? So it is curious that AcademySport have qualified. Like Rivermead it is an externalised centre.

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Samuel
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Dec 2, 11:32
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Interesting...I think someone should be told!

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MBW
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Dec 2, 17:19
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I can fully support the choice of using the Pool at Highdown. I take my Daughter there on Sunday mornings. Changing rooms clean, Pool lovely and plenty of room to swim and play.

Loads of parking as well !

Higly recommended. It is everything the Central (that is still living in the 1970's) is not.

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Duck and Dive
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Dec 3, 12:53
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Wasn't Chatham Place suppose to build a swimming pool? There was also talk of one for the University, wasn't there? Come on Council get your cheque book out and deliver what you promised. Apologies, what the Cabinet promised!

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Alison
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Dec 3, 17:48
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Children will be swimming for free at the Carnival and Loddon Valley pools in Wokingham Borough from January and they are not council run... Why can't Reading Council negociate with the private managment at Rivermead as WBC have been able to do ?

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Colin Lee
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Dec 6, 13:04
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It is clear to me the Council has funded AcademySport and Rivermead at the expense of Council run facilities and that externalising these two centres was an enormous error of judgement; they have been papering over the cracks since. I suspect that as a result the town cannot now afford to have the new swimming pool promised.

I would like to know the costs to the tax payer of running free swimming; especially if the Council provides additional subsidy over the Department of Culture, Media and Sports funding of the scheme?

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