Campaigners have vowed to keep fighting after what they claim is another snub by Allerdale Borough Council in their battle for a dedicated swimming pool in Keswick.
In their latest move, Friends of Keswick Leisure (FOKL) – who have previously had requests to conduct their own survey turned down – submitted a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the council, which owns the pool.
These included demands to know whether a competitive tender was ever conducted to assess the cost of pool repairs, what efforts were made to make the pool more commercially viable before it was closed, and whether any impact assessment was made upon the prior to the closure.
The campaigners also wanted to know how many children are now not receiving swimming lessons due to lack of slots and the impracticability of travel to lessons.
FOKL are opposed to the permanent closure of the existing pool, and claim the original inspectors’ report – claiming remedial works costing up to £200,000 would only extend the pool’s operational lifespan by a short period – is flawed.
In response the council said an impact assessment had concluded that swimmers in Keswick could be accommodated at Cockermouth and Penrith pools, and that a number of promotional schemes were introduced including adult swim lessons, discos, water exercise classes, canoeing and family fun Fridays.
However they refused to give information about the competitive tender, claiming it “does not hold information within the scope of this question”.
Campaign spokeswoman Debbie Devereux said she was disappointed but not surprised by the response.
“Their refusal to substantiate the estimate to repair of the pool is on top of a refusal to allow anyone else to do an estimate to repair the pool,” she said.
“It’s a typical politician’s answer, but what else would you expect? Allerdale are just kicking the can down the road, hoping that we will eventually go away.
“But we still have a number of options open to us, and we will pursue them. We are certainly not giving up the fight, because the people of Keswick deserve better than to just be forgotten about.”
Debbie is now hoping to meet Keswick MP Trudy Harrison in a bid to overturn the decision not to allow an independent survey. The campaign is also targeting government “levelling-up” funding in the hope of reopening the pool on a temporary basis.
Meanwhile there are plans to apply for community asset status for the pool, meaning it would be taken over and run by the community.
“When you look at the facilities in Cockermouth and Whitehaven, it’s as if we in Keswick don’t exist,” Debbie said. “And yes, at times it feels like we are banging our heads against a brick wall – but we are determined to keep going.”
