We have been informed by the Council that the petition and supporting argument have been forwarded to the Strategic Director of Environment and Sport. The matter will be considered at the meeting of the Executive on Friday 22nd July ,10.30 Council Chamber, City Hall. Diana has spoken to Mark Shaw who is a new Bingley councillor and although he has a vested interest and may not be allowed to vote, he will be able to have some input into the debate.
Bingley pool campaigner Diana has bravely presented our petition to the council today. Described as a “Very, very powerful speech” by Green Councillor Kevin Warnes.
Thank you Diana for standing up there for us all. We must all keep fighting and keep swimming!
I believe it is very important to keep the pool open, so many people who use the pool may find it difficult to travel to another pool nearby and/or not have the time to have to go further.
The Save Bingley Pool campaign will take their 2,000 signature petition to Bradford MD Council at 4pm, 12 July 2011.
Bradford MD Council cut the opening hours at Bingley Pool from 11 April, with no consultation with users and only one week’s notice.
The new opening hours mean there are only 23 hours of public swimming per week. The swimming pool is now closed to the public on MONDAYS and SATURDAYS.
All weekday early morning swims have been cut, along with a reduction in lunchtime swims and there is no Fun Splash session. The gym has also had its hours restricted with early morning (pre 9am) access only on a Sunday.
Users of the pool are concerned that this is a step towards total closure of the facility as the most popular sessions have been cut. A Freedom of Information request has shown Bingley to be one of the cheapest pools in the district, per head, to run.
This is not the first time hours have been cut at Bingley; hours were cut three years ago, despite the pool being well used.
The current hours do not meet the needs of the working population of Bingley – there are now only five hours in the week where a full-time worker can access the pool. These sessions are already so busy it is impossible to get a good swim.
The majority of users at Bingley are over 50. Swimming is a great sport for rehabilitation and those with physical or mental illnesses. It helps to tackle obesity and keeps people off anti-depressants as it can foster good health and a sense of well-being. Reduction in swimming will undoubtedly see an increase in costs for the health services of the area.
Bingley Pool doesn’t just cover the immediate town of Bingley. It also serves the rural villages, and many of the users come from Shipley and Keighley as the latter is a fun pool and not suitable for length swimming. Those who used to come to the early morning swims came from all over the Bradford District as this service is not provided elsewhere.
There are so few options that the remaining sessions are PACKED and people have already begun to stop coming. The pool is being crippled as a viscous cycle of cut-backs will stop it being a viable option for the local community, and dedicated users are forced to cancel their memberships.
The swimmers and residents of Bingley are not just fighting to keep the pool open and operational they want it to be restored to its previous position at the centre of the community. The pool has been a key part of the town for 84 years and offers a priceless service in keeping the residents fit and healthy, offering people a place to meet, talk and socialise, and in drawing younger people to buy and rent homes in the area.
Editor’s Notes
The Save Bingley Pool campaign consists of a group of concerned swimmers acting on behalf of all users of the pool. A paper and online petition has gathered nearly 2,000 signatures in support of a full consultation by the council into the cutting of the hours at the pool. There has been no equality survey into the impact of these cut-backs.
For more information please contact us through the ‘Support Save Bingley Pool’ link.
Thank you everyone who has signed the petition - it is now being gathered together and we have about 2,000 signatures!
We are now taking our case to the council and a representative will be speaking in the chambers on 12 July. If you have any comments or thoughts that you would like to share, please use the comments feature on this website and let us know.
Please keep the pressure up and make sure you tell everyone how much the pool means to you and to Bingley.
Follow this link to print out a poster that you can put up in your house or car window and take to local business, schools or anywhere else that can help to spread the word about the campaign.
Follow this link to get a PDF of flyers that you can print out at home and use to spread the word about the cuts to Bingley Pool and what people can do to support the campaign to stop them.
Check out this story about how three women saved Levenshulme Baths in Manchester. And let’s keep fighting for our pool!
http://manchesternettuesday.org.uk/2011/03/16/did-facebook-save-levenshulme-baths/
I have always loved swimming, but since I took up going regularly before work my health has improved massively. I have back problems which means other sports are not suitable for me and the non-impact nature swimming makes it ideal to keep me fit without injury. Swimming regularly keeps me away from the hospital and in work - the early morning sessions are essential for those of us that work and swimming in the morning is better for the metabolism.
I am in the process of buying a house in Bingley. One of the key reasons me and my partner chose this location is because of the local pool. I am really disappointed to hear the hours are being cut, especially as the sessions which are going are the ones most available to people who work.
Swimming is a great form of exercise and in a time when not enough people are fit and health community pools need to be supported. People with busy work lives, family lives or lack of transport find it impossible to travel further to swimming baths so we should be supporting more local pools, not cutting and closing them.
Bradford MD Council are cutting the opening hours at Bingley Pool from 11 April, with no consultation with users and very little notice.
The new opening hours will mean only 23 hours of public swimming per week, with many of these sessions being restricted to particular groups.
The swimming pool will be closed to the public on MONDAYS and SATURDAYS.
All weekday early morning swims have been cut, along with a reduction in lunchtime swims and there will be no Fun Splash session.
The gym has also had it's hours restricted with early morning access only on a Sunday.
Users are concerned that this is a step towards total closure of the facility.
Sign the online petition NOW!: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-bingley-pool.html
