Hereford's LEA pool not to close - but 'not to reopen'

6.28.48pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 6th Aug 2008

"When the Council would rather save money than give our children lifesaving skills, something is very wrong. Parents across Herefordshire have already shown that we will not allow Council leaders to short-change our children. Roger Phillips clearly has not learnt this lesson" said Sarah Carr

Herefordshire Liberal Democrats are appalled by the Conservative-led Council's attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the general public. In the Cabinet meeting of Thursday 31st July, councillors were told by Conservative Council Leader Roger Phillips that the LEA pool "was not to close, but was not to reopen." Opposition councillors including Lib Dems Terry James and Aubrey Oliver have slammed the barely-concealed Conservative efforts to scrap the much needed pool.

"The greatest priority that the council has is to safeguard the lives and wellbeing of our citizens. For these Cabinet members to reduce the availability of swimming training for our children, simply in order to penny-pinch, shows exactly the attitude this council has towards the lives of our children" said Lib Dem group leader Terry James.

The amount of money saved will be miniscule compared to the overall budget of the council. Indeed, it spends many times this amount on PR and self promotion. The 'Herefordshire Matters' magazine alone costs local taxpayers £100,000 per year. They will have lost ten-times the cost of running the LEA pool when they are kicked out of their Plough Lane offices in 2010. This will come after having spent over £2 million of taxpayers' money on improving a building owned by a private business.

Aubrey Oliver (Lib Dem councillor for St. Martins ward) has conducted a full examination of the Council's case for closure. "The figures just don't add up. Since giving control of the pool to HALO, income has been slashed by two thirds to just £45,225. Given the amount paid by schools and clubs to use the pool, HALO should have been bringing in over £90,000. Cabinet members need to ask why this is, and they need to ask quickly."

Herefordshire's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidates Sarah Carr (Hereford and South Herefordshire) and Lucy Hurds (North Herefordshire) are working with Councillors Terry James and Aubrey Oliver to keep the pressure on Herefordshire Council. "When the Council would rather save money than give our children lifesaving skills, something is very wrong. Parents across Herefordshire have already shown that we will not allow Council leaders to short-change our children. Roger Phillips clearly has not learnt this lesson" said Sarah Carr.