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'Londoners won't have more public swimming pools by 2012'
Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent07.10.08
Olympics chiefs' plans for the sporting legacy of the 2012 Games took a blow today as the provision of public swimming pools in London was revealed.
An unprecedented audit of facilities by the London Assembly shows that after decades of closures 40 per cent of Londoners live more than one mile - or 20 minutes' walk - from their nearest public pool.
The report's authors warned that provision of public pools was unlikely to improve before the 2012 Olympics.
They said the findings suggest ministers will find it difficult to boost participation in sport - a key legacy aim of the London Games - through its £140 million free swimming scheme for children and over-sixties. The survey adds to concerns about public sports facilities raised by the Standard's campaign for a legacy from the London Olympics.
Outlying boroughs are among those with the poorest provision. The worst is Redbridge, with 84 per cent of residents living at least 20 minutes from a pool, followed by Hillingdon (76 per cent) Havering (69 per cent) and Harrow (65 per cent). Residents in Brent, Bromley, Croydon and Greenwich are disadvantaged by "low access" to public transport.
London boroughs fall on average 25 per cent below the Amateur Swimming Association's target of 13 square metres of pool per 1,000 residents, with the East End particularly poorly served.
The residents with the easiest access to public pools live in central boroughs including Islington, Camden, Kensington and Chelsea and Tower Hamlets.
Data revealed that of London's 530 pools only 196 (37 per cent) were run by councils while 205 were commercially operated and the rest were operated by schools and universities.
Dee Doocey, chairwoman of the Assembly's economic development, culture, sport and tourism committee called for measures to improve provision such as urging private schools to open up their pools at the weekends. Ms Doocey also called for councils to consider hiring temporary pools while permanent facilities were shut for refurbishment.
Researchers also found that there are only 11 diving facilities in London, in nine of London's 33 boroughs. Ms Doocey added: "Getting more people swimming is at the heart of plans for a sports participation legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
''Our report highlights that in 11 London boroughs, half the population live more than 20 minutes' walk from a public pool. Londoners' access to public swimming pools will not have improved by 2012."
Colin Brown, Director of London Swimming, said: "Public swimming pools are the backbone for provision in London. This report clearly shows that although London has a high number of pools we have some significant gaps and that accessibility for more than a third of the population is poor."
Reader views (5)
It is of great disgust that Gordon Brown has not yet provided the local provisions of sport that the nation needs.
- Bob And Tel, Loughton, England.
If all London residents were to live within 1 mile radius of a swimming pool, exactly how many pools would be required? Is this a realistic target? I suspect not!
- Derek, London,UK
I expect by 2012 most Londoners will just be grateful if they haven't had their house reposessed.
- Roz, Chamonix, France
More to the point, how many people live next to a decent sized swimming pool? I do not think that pools of less than 33 metres should be counted as pools and I really believe that we should all have reasonable access to 50 metres' pools.
- Ross, London SW19
Pool campaigners have been trying to raise awareness of this problem for years now, because the lack of public swimming pool provision is a country-wide scandal.
At the time of writing this comment the following pools are closed or under threat:-
# North Somerset Council want to close the Portishead Open Air Pool
# Waveney District Council want to close Beccles and Halesworth pools in Suffolk,
# the only pool in Matlock, Derbyshire is closed until at least February 2009 for roof repairs
# the London Borough of Redbridge has only one pool for well over 200,000 residents
# Minehead has no public pool
# Harlow has no public pool (new LC planned to open autumn 2009)
# Harlech Pool is under threat again (closure planned for March 2009)
# Hendy Lido - Carmarthenshire Council want to start filling it in on October 27th 2008
# Broomhill Pool in Ipswich - Olympic sized pool left derelict since 2002
# Kirkham Pool up in Fylde - closure planned for 2009
# Portsmouth Council want to close the Hilsea Lido
# The Building Schools for the Future programme will actually destroy many existing school pools, because there is no money in the scheme for saving or refurbishing them.
No other Govt has done more to undermine the public provision of swimming in this country; Mrs Thatcher started the downwards trend, but New Labour have continued it by allowing the closure of public pools and facilitating the rise of private health clubs.
- Sally Wainman, Ipswich Suffolk
