(Image: T&A)
A swimming pool that would cost £8.6 million to bring it back into use has "no role in the council’s future leisure strategy."
Bradford Council Leader Stephen Place (Reform UK) has today announced that the authority does not have the budget to re-open Bingley Pool.
The council has paused plans to sell the building, but Cllr Place said it would be up to campaign group Friends of Bingley Pool to identify a way forward for the facility.
Bingley Pool history
The pool was shut as part of a major shake up of the district’s leisure facilities.
Since then there has been constant campaigning to reopen the facility.
A £14.4 million Government Levelling Up grant to reopen the pool and refurbish the town’s market square was approved, but then later withdrawn after Bradford Council acknowledged there was a huge funding gap.
The building had been listed for disposal by the council.
There had been a crumb of hope for Bingley Pool earlier this summer, when the Reform Executive scrapped plans for a new pool at Squire Lane.
Reopening hope vanishes
Bingley politicians and campaigners had hoped that a budget pot earmarked for running that pool could be diverted to re-opening Bingley Pool.
But in a statement published on social media on Wednesday morning, Cllr Place said: “We have paused the sale of Bingley Pool at the request of Friends of Bingley Pool.
“We also commissioned an updated report on the condition of the building which we have now given to them.
“Currently Bingley Pool would need in the region of £8.6 million to restore it to a condition which it could operate - not to improve or regenerate the site, just getting it back to a basic pre-closure condition and have the doors back open.
“It would then also need money to run and maintain it, money which is not in the Council's current budget.
“The site has no role in the Council's future sport and leisure strategy, and we have no proposal to spend any additional budget on it. There is currently no funding or route to funding to support the works needed to reopen and run the site.
“The Friends of Bingley Pool now have all the information they need to inform a business case or funding application, but it is now with them to identify over the coming months a way forward for the facility.”
'He is letting down the residents of Bingley'
Following the announcement Councillor Susan Fricker (Lab, Bingley East) said: “On June 4, Councillor Place told Bingley Town Council and the Friends of Bingley Pool that there is a 'very compelling case' for reopening Bingley Pool and that reopening the pool 'fits into the plan and bid for Bradford', and he stated that 'politics should be put to one side for everyone involved to work for the people of Bingley'.
“Having raised the hopes and expectations of the people of Bingley he now appears to have suddenly changed his position - he is letting down the residents of Bingley.
“There is clear and compelling evidence that Bradford district needs more swimming facilities; the health, safety and wellbeing benefits are irrefutable and here in Bingley there is an opportunity to reopen and redevelop a much needed council owned pool.
“We look to Bradford Council to invest in Bingley and to support and strengthen the community led regeneration that we have achieved.”
Councillor Geoff Winnard (Cons, Bingley West) said: “Whilst it is helpful that the Council have undertaken a review of the condition of the building, it seems the Council are losing interest in saving Bingley Pool.
“It remains unclear whether Bradford Council has fully exhausted the scope to use the monies, around £15m, that the Government had made available from the now cancelled Squire Lane pool project.
“They have not yet confirmed whether Government would allow sone of these funds to be used to reopen Bingley pool. We need a clear answer on this.
“If Bradford Council is unwilling to re-open the pool themselves, they must continue to work with and support the Friends of Bingley Pool in their ongoing efforts to develop a viable plan to take over the running of the pool building with the aim of eventually bringing public swimming back to Bingley.”
Meeting to take place tonight
Bingley East Councillor Joe Wheatley (Independent) is due to ask a question about the council’s plans for Bingley Pool at a meeting of Bradford Council tonight (Wednesday).
Ahead of the meeting Shipley MP Anna Dixon wrote to Cllr Place about how he should respond to Cllr Wheatley’s question.
Her letter says: “My constituents in Bingley and the Friends of Bingley Pool campaign will be watching your response closely.
“I urge you, in the strongest terms, to give a clear, direct commitment to fund Bingley Pool, rather than continuing to shift responsibility. I can assure you that a non-committal response will be seen locally as exactly that.”