Lancaster City Council statement on community pools
LANCASHIRE County Council owns pools next to schools in Hornby, Carnforth and Heysham.
However, these pools are currently managed by Lancaster City Council and subsidised to the tune of £133,500. The pools are mainly used to provide swimming for schools and swimming clubs.
As the city council looks to reduce its budget in future years, on Tuesday (January 19) its Cabinet agreed to give the county council 12 months notice to end this partnership.
As a result the pools are due to be handed back to the county council from April 2011.
As their owner, it will be for the county council to decide the future of the pools.
Coun Stuart Langhorn, leader of the council and chair of the Cabinet, said: “The city council faces an uncertain future with regards to its budget with the very real possibility that our funding from the Government will be cut in future years.
"As a result we have to look now reducing our spending on those areas where others have the responsibility. This is a sensible approach because it allows time for the county council to look at alternative ways of providing this service.
“In this case we heavily subsidise the community pools but they are owned by the county council. As the local education authority they also have the responsibility for school swimming, which,along with swimming clubs is the main use of the pools.
“Now the decision has been taken to hand the pools back it will be up to the county council to decide their future.”
Date Updated: 21/01/10