Swift reactions to pool closure

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Over the years Rye News has run many stories which have touched a nerve with readers, promoting comments and opinions from every perspective which is what a community newspaper is all about.

Last week’s story that Freedom Leisure would be closing our swimming pool for the winter due to excessive costs generated a huge backlash of opinion.

Almost immediately the announcement was made, social media started to spread the word and one local resident started a petition saying: “I’ve started a petition to keep Rye Sports Centre pool open over the winter. Please sign if this matters to you and post far and wide.”

Over 2,500 people have already signed this petition, including Nick Ede, a Rye resident and television presenter who said: “This pool is a lifeline to so many people and without it, physical and mental health will suffer. Many who come here don’t see anyone else all day, and this is their social club. Rye Town Council needs to work on keeping it going and I know people like me are here to help in whatever way we can.” Nick is already trying to organise a fundraiser with some high-profile Rye residents to help the cause.

Others were quick to take up the baton

Sally-Ann Hart, Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye

Local MP Sally-Ann Hart said in a statement to Rye News: “As soon as I heard about the closure of Rye swimming pool on Thursday evening, I wrote to both Rother District Council and Freedom Leisure, as well as highlighting this issue with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. I understand that Freedom Leisure has asked Rother DC (which owns the leisure centre) for extra funding for Rother-based leisure centres managed and run by Freedom Leisure. It seems that Rye swimming pool, a vital community service, and asset, is the only planned closure, and it is very disappointing indeed that it is a rurally based centre, one which caters to many rural communities from a wide catchment area, that is the one being closed. It is not easy for people from rural communities, especially schools and those with disabilities, to travel or access alternate swimming pools and I am urging Freedom Leisure to reconsider the closure of its swimming pool in Rye.”

A statement on the Freedom Leisure website claims Rye is not the only pool to close as they review their finances for the winter ahead. Their pool in Milton Keynes is also closing and Ivan Horsfall Turner, chief executive officer of Freedom Leisure said: “We are frankly devastated that it has come to this. Public sector leisure is one of the most exposed sectors because energy costs are such a large proportion of our overall costs, particularly with swimming pools and as a not-for-profit leisure trust we operate at very low surpluses and these increases simply cannot be absorbed. These increases present us with a significant challenge where very difficult and painful decisions need to be made with our client partners about expenditure and what effectively we can afford to operate and what we cannot. With wage inflation, the cost of living crisis, supply chain challenges, and now energy price increases, we have huge challenges to overcome.”

Helena Dollimore, Labour parliamentary candidate for Hastings and Rye

Helena Dollimore, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Hastings and Rye told Rye News: “I am horrified at the prospect of our community losing its swimming pool. People of all ages enjoy using it, and it is particularly important for local children who need somewhere safe to learn to swim. This vital public service is threatened because of this reckless Conservative government and its failure to deliver energy security, sound finances, and a fully costed energy support package for families, businesses, and community facilities.”

Howard Norton at Rye Swimming Pool

The view from Rother District Council (RDC) came from Cllr Howard Norton who wrote to Rye News saying: “The decision to close the Rye pool has come as a shock to all of us. The pool and other Rother leisure facilities are run by Freedom Leisure with financial support from RDC. Freedom’s costs of running the pool have risen dramatically, particularly their heating and staff costs. Normally, Rother might be expected to increase its subsidy to cover the additional expenses but sadly, we are also facing the same acute financial crisis. With the present energy and inflationary crisis, our financial strategy is in jeopardy. Expenditure on leisure cannot be increased without damage to core services. Increased subsidies for leisure facilities can only happen with central government support, which seems highly unlikely.”

Rye News is wholeheartedly behind the crusade to keep our swimming pool open and will be at the leisure centre this Saturday to support Mayor Andi Rivett as he leads the campaign to save our pool.

Make your voices heard too.

Image Credits: Swim England , Chris Lawson , Stuart Rayment .

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