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Baths gone and parking fees go up
RESIDENTS and visitors to St Annes will have to pay more to park their cars - even though the town will lose its swimming baths.
A hike in parking charges was one of a range of measures agreed in an 11th hour bid to save Kirkham Baths.
Anger as Fylde pool shuts
But while parking will go up in and St Annes, as well as in neighbouring Lytham, the town will still lose its swimming facilities.
The ruling Conservative group's short-term measures - which will raise 129,000 - will offer breathing space for a long-term solution to be sought.
They include:
* 10p rises in short stay car parking in Lytham and St Annes and a 30p hike in long stay parking across Fylde (raising 66,000).
* An increase in admission fees for students under 18 at Kirkham Baths (raising 11,000).
* Reducing the maintenance budget at Kirkham Baths (saving 22,000).
* Cutting the hire of park equipment (saving 8,000).
Coun Simon Renwick, cabinet member for culture and tourism, who worked on putting the deal together, said: "I'm positive we've been able to keep public swimming in Fylde although obviously it is sad to see St Annes' pool lost.
"After the initial budget decision the group looked again at the figures and found the savings in our services to save Kirkham."
But Coun John Davies, who represents St Annes, said: "There is no doubt about public feeling.
"We have heard how important St Annes Pool is from schools, disabled swimmers and swimming groups.
"The lifesavers from the RNLI have told us lives will be put at risk without the baths."
Opposition councillors had put forward a range of amendments to the original budget plan which they said could save 450,000-a-year and save swimming in both St Annes and Kirkham.
However, Bernard Haynes, the council's finance office, said the proposed measures lacked the financial "robustness" required for him to approve them to councillors.
The proposals included:
* Reducing building maintenance (saving 100,000).
* Restructuring the management team and reducing costs (saving 100,000).
* Reducing the overspend of fleet costs in Fylde's Streetscene waste department (saving 50,000).
* Removing Christmas trees from the budget (saving 23,000).
Mr Haynes explained his reasons for not backing the plans.
He said: "Looking at the proposals the extra savings are not something I could approve. If they were passed I would have to bring further reports to the council on its finances.
"These are savings on top of savings which have already been made."
By closing both pools Fylde Council would have saved 322,000 this year and 646,000 in 2009.
Keeping Kirkham baths open will reduce the saving to 204,000 in the next 12 months and 502,000 in the following year.
Council bosses earmarked the pools for closure after initially putting the on a hitlist alongside much-loved "luxuries" Lowther Pavilion and Fairhaven Gardens as they tried to plug a 1.2m budget shortfall.
They have blamed a 600,000 cut in government funding and an expecting a 300,000 bill for free bus travel for the over 60s for the cash crisis.
But opposition councillors have been left fuming after it was last month revealed there had been a massive overspend in the council's street cleaning and waste services.
Streetscene overspent in the last year to the tune of 609,000.
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Weather for Blackpool
Monday 13 February 2012
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