Concerns raised over ongoing closure of Fleetwood pool

Wyre Council, which owns the YMCA-run facility, says it wants to reopen the amenity and has committed £630,000, in principle, towards costs for the borough's YMCA facilities in the 2021 budget.

Although some fears have been raised that the council and YMCA do not plan to reopen the town's swimming baths at all, Wyre has pointed to the fact that other amenities in the Fleetwood YMCA building, on The Esplanade, reopened in July.

The YMCA has also maintained that the lengthy lockdown earlier this year did have a financial impact and because of that, the reopening of YMCA sports amenities in the borough would have to be phased.

But those who use the swimming pool, and some of the town's councillors, say similar swimming pool amenities in Blackpool and also the Fylde area have re-opened, and they are asking why Fleetwood's isn't open too.

Amenities such as Moor Park in Bispham and Kirkham pools, the latter run via the YMCA, are up and running, although customers need to book a slot in advance.

Coun Lorraine Beavers, the town's's Rossall ward councillor who is also the deputy leader of Wyre's Labour group, said: "The council has not given us any information about what is going on with the swimming pool.

"All we can do is raise our concerns about the fact it is still closed and that there seem to be no definite plans to reopen it.

"Residents can see that pools in other parts of the Fylde coast, such as Moor Park and Kirkham, which are run by other councils, are open again, after closing for a few months due to Covid, yet Fleetwood is still shut.

"The swimming baths is vital for Fleetwood, not only because we have children who live near the sea and need to to able to swim, but because we know the exercise helps with fitness and mental health issues, which is a big problem in our town at the moment.

"Wyre is a relatively wealthy authority, so what is going on?"

Concerns have also been raised by MP Cat Smith, the Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, and Fleetwood Swimming Club.

David Gregson, chairman of Fleetwood Swimming Club, has stated that the club was frustrated over the closure, as it had 200 members oif all ages who had been using the pool six days a week before the closure.

A Wyre Council spokesman said this week: “We want the pool to reopen and are working with the YMCA to do so when it is financially viable.

"The council has been working with the YMCA to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and support a sustainable future for the leisure centres by committing, in principle, to fund over £630,000 of costs in 2020/21.”