Campaigners fighting to save Burnham-On-Sea swimming pool have called into question whether the threatened facility really is losing £250,000 per year, as cash-strapped Sedgemoor District Council claims.
Tom Ashton, Chairman of the Save Our Swimming Pool (SOS) campaign group, has filed a Freedom of Information Request with the council to get access to the infomation used to calculate the figures and to understand whether it really would cost £2million to bring the pool up to modern standards.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported last month how Sedgemoor District Council claimed the pool’s annual £250,000 running costs are the reason why it wants to shut the site, along with its £1.8m budget deficit.
Mr Ashton wants a detailed breakdown of the pool’s accounts to made public so “the full story about the pool’s finances is known.”
He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We want to know in detail what the scale of the deficit is. The £250,000 figure is at the core of the council’s argument to close the pool, yet we have never seen how it has been calculated.”
“I have therefore logged a request under the Freedom Of Information Act for full disclosure of the figures.”
Meanwhile, the SOS campaign goup has been further buoyed this week by the signing of its latest member – Arthur Gilbert, the 86-year-old veteran triathlete who was awarded an MBE at the weekend for his charitable works, which include regularly running the Burnham triathlon.
Arthur is worried that the triathlon’s days could be numbered and said this week: “It would be a tragedy to lose the pool – it’s a popular asset which draws people to Burnham. The triathlon is a wonderful event which raises thousands of pounds for charity.”
Meanwhile, almost 6,000 people have now signed various petitions in favour of keeping the pool open – showing the huge support there is for the campaign.
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