Free swimming goes but Southampton to get £100,000 spin doctor instead (From Daily Echo)

Free swimming goes but Southampton to get £100,000 spin doctor instead

3:00pm Saturday 25th October 2008 in

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THOUSANDS of kids face the loss of free swimming sessions in Southampton under proposals to plug a £13m budget black hole.

Conservative council leaders want to axe a popular scheme that lets under 12s swim for free in three council pools – saving £160,000. They also plan to reject a Government grant to pay for free swimming to under-16s – intended as an Olympic 2012 legacy.

• Council chief wants to spend £100,000 on an image consultant - click here

Portsmouth, Winchester and Eastleigh councils have already pledged to sign up to it.

But Southampton Tories complain the Government is only funding a quarter of the estimated £400,000 cost.

Free swimming was introduced for under sevens two years ago then extended to under 12s in April by a Lib-Lab budget coalition. Around 2,600 kids have registered.

Swimming groups and opposition councillors have slammed the plan.

Labour leisure spokesman Derek Burke said: “It’s absolute madness. I’m extremely disappointed. It’s a widely used opportunity for all young families to participate in sport. It’s another blow to obesity targets.”

Julia Passingham from Hampshire Amateur Swimming Association said: “It’s a necessity for primary school age. They need health and exercise and it builds life skills, and gets them into sport. Swimming lesson numbers are already going down because of the economic climate.”

Lib Dem group leader councillor Jill Baston said: “This is a backward step. On the one hand the Conservatives are saying how keen they are to increase activities for young people then they are making these cuts.”

Cabinet member for leisure Councillor John Hannides said the swimming scheme was not well established and had been introduced with little idea of the costs which were now “running away”.

“There is nothing to suggest there has been a significant increase in (pool) usage,” he said.

Cllr Hannides added: “With a very limited budget I felt it was better to secure all the swimming pool venues and keep them open. We are doing the best to support swimming across the city and to ensure access right across the city.”

Cllr Hannides said £300,000 was being invested in the Quays diving complex while Oaklands pool – threatened in pervious budget rounds – was costing £1,000 a day to keep open.

Finance chief Councillor Jeremy Moulton said Government funding for the under-16s scheme was “woefully inadequate” and unaffordable.

He said while swimming was an important skill it could be learnt through school swimming. Cllr Moulton said the Cabinet could reconsider its cuts if schools and the local health trust were prepared to help fill the funding gap.

The proposal is part of a consultation on next year’s budget. A full list of cuts and savings to give residents a below inflation council tax rise will not be published until January.

Tories have confirmed they will be introducing free swimming for over 60s from April with the help of two years of Government funding.

How the £13m budget gap is made up

■ £6.4m inflated cost of services not covered by government grant
■ £1.3m in lost income from landfill allowances and land charges because of housing collapse
■ £1.3m for council tax discount to pensioners and special constables
■ £1.3m for a private finance initiative to replace city’s street lights
■ £800,000 to maintain higher spending on road resurfacing
■ £1m set up costs for a scheme to rebuild city secondary schools
■ £1m for other new spending initiatives and costs