Series of Burnham-On-Sea swimming pool public meetings planned

Published: January 24, 2008
Series of Burnham-On-Sea swimming pool public meetings planned

Campaigners fighting to save Burnham-On-Sea swimming pool are to hold a series of public meetings to let local people quiz councillors on their progress in finding a new owner for the threatened facility.

Burnham-On-Sea.com was first to report last week how hopes of a last minute reprieve for Burnham's swimming pool had been dealt a blow with a decision by district councillors to shut the facility on May 31st unless a new owner can be found.

A 'task force' of three district councillors - Cllr Neville Jones, Cllr Anne Bown and Cllr Arthur Thorogood - is now working to find a new owner, and it is expected they will provide regular updates to the public meetings.

Tom Ashton, Chairman of the Save Our Swimming Pool (SOS) pressure group, told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Wednesday evening (January 23rd): "We hope to hold the meetings in the community centre next to the pool to keep the public updated on the latest work going on to save the pool and get updates from the task force."

More details will be announced on Burnham-On-Sea.com in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Mr Ashton met Sedgemoor councillors Teresa Harvey and Anne Bown last week and during a "positive" meeting discussed the economics of running the pool with the pair.

"The district council clearly cannot continue to run a 34-year-old pool the way it has been doing so - at a heavy loss," he said.

"We discussed various ways of boosting income and reducing costs to make the pool more economical."

"We agreed, for instance, that the admittance costs at Burnham are far too low and an increase of 35 per cent would add more than £75,000 of income to the pool every per year. We agreed the entrance costs should go up to bring Burnham into line with other swimming pools in the region."