ANALYSIS & COMMENT
“GLL hasn’t closed any pools as a direct result of energy costs, but future planning decisions will certainly be affected, with all pools being reviewed on the basis of sustainability. “That doesn’t just mean energy costs, either. Zero carbon is also a factor: it’s very difficult to retrofit zero carbon technology into any building constructed pre-2000. Clearly many public swimming pool facilities fall into that category.” The challenge of tendering Sesnan continues: “The biggest problem is that local authority leisure has been commoditised as something you can tender, with a 10-year bid requiring you to predict usage levels, price, costs… everything for the next 10 years. The provider is left trying to put in a bid that’s competitive, so they have a chance of winning it, but without putting themselves in a position where they’ll lose money and go bust if their forecasts prove wrong. “It’s a harsh regime, because nobody could predict COVID or the energy crisis, for example. Fortunately GLL has good local authority partners, so we’ve managed to get through it. Not all organisations have. “And that’s a big issue, because swimming is a core part of keeping the population healthy and fit, not to mention safe. We also need pools for competition – although as an aside, not every pool has to be 25m. As long as there’s one 25m pool in the town or borough, other community pools can be 20m. These are more cost-efficient and easier to run, and still provide a very adequate swimming experience for a large proportion of swimmers.”
Pools cost a lot to run, but we can’t charge £10-15 a swim to cover those costs, because then it becomes a rich person’s sport.
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
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