10:56pm Tuesday 13th October 2009
By Simon Farr
EMOTIONS ran high as more than a hundred residents and councillors attended a public meeting to discuss the future of the closed Holywell Mead swimming pool.
About 120 people packed into The Environment Centre on The Rye for Tuesday evening's meeting, which was chaired by the Holywell Mead Trust Steering Group's Neil Bailey.
Mr Bailey told the gathered crowd how the group had formed, studied successful outdoor pools around the country and had a Business plan reject by Wycombe District council because it 'wasn't viable or sustainable'.
He said the group was currently working on a new plan to put to the council but called for more people to help the activists' campaign and fund raising efforts.
Wycombe District Councillors, including leader Lesley Clarke and deputy leader Tony Green, attended the meeting to put across the council's side of the matter.
They said the council were “forced to make difficult decisions” over the closing of the pool in a bid to save money and added it had postponed council plans for the facility to “give the steering group a chance”.
He added the average number of swimmers visiting the centre had fallen from 26,000 visitors in the 1980s to 13,000 this decade, which played a part in the council's decision.
Cllr Green told the meeting that the council was now drawing up plans for an alternative leisure facility to “work alongside The Rye's highly successful children's play area”.
He would not tell residents what the proposed facility would be, but confirmed it would not be a pool and added a public consultation would be held over the plans in due course.
Councillors were regularly heckled and jeered through out the meeting – with riled residents questioning why there had not been a public consultation over the council's decision to close the pool.
Cllr Green said the council did not hold public consultations on “every matter” and added that alongside the pool closure and other cost saving measures, several council staff were made redundant “but we didn't ask you (the public) which staff members you wanted us to lose.”
Angry attendees called for the council to actively help the steering group put together a workable business plan, while others asked why “money is available for a new facility but not available to fund the swimming pool”.
Cllr Jean Teesdale said she had met with the group on many occasions but “couldn't see a plan she could support”.
She added that she would be “delighted” if the group could produce a plan and challenged the residents to “prove me wrong”.
Lib Dem member Julia Wassell then took the mic to say the publicly-saved Micklefield Library was proof that “a dream and hard work can make a difference.”
She then claimed a consultation over the council's proposals for the site would be a “sham” and told the group to “keep fighting”, handing them a cheque for £300 towards the campaign.
Cllr Clarke then told residents the pool would cost between £300,000-£400,000 to keep running and said council tax would have to rise to subsidise the pool – which she called a “drain on finances”.
She added the council had been “very fair” to the steering group but its business plan was “sadly wanting and we wouldn't be able to work with someone without a plan.”
She abruptly left the stage moments later after a member of the public questioned the council's plan and handling of the pool saga.
Before the meeting closed, a member of the public asked for a show of hands for those who wanted a pool to be included in the council's public consultation - the vote was unanimous.
Councillors did not show their hands for or against the vote and would again not be drawn on proposals for the closed leisure facility when further pressed by residents.
The meeting ended with a round of applause for the councillors for attending the public meeting and answering questions from residents.
After the meeting, Cllr Trevor Snaith said the turnout at the meeting had “yet again shown the weight of public opinion against the council's closure of the Holywell Mead Pool.”
He added: “The council have been offered an opportunity to come back to the table and work with residents and the steering group to get the pool reopened - as a Pool.
“WDC needs to show their commitment by allocating officer resources to the project and show real intent to reopen the pool by working in partnership with the group and residents.
“The group could then move forward with charity status and start the work of fund raising.
He added that he 'believed' the council “have access to LABGI (Local Authority Business Growth Incentive)funds which could be reallocated to resource this project.”
Cllr Snaith and fellow Liberal Democrat member for Ryemead, Cllr Ray Farmer, added there should be a 'cross party initiative' to re-open the pool “for the good of the people of High Wycombe.”
The council said today that using LABGI funds to run pool had been discussed and it was decided that it would not be an appropriate use of the funds.
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