Decision:
Mr Charles Bunker thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding Hitchin Outdoor Pool.
The Chairman thanked Mr Bunker for his presentation.
Minutes:
Mr Charles Bunker thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding Hitchin Outdoor Pool.
Mr Bunker informed Members that he went swimming on a very busy day for the pool and was upset that approximately 40 percent of the pool was roped off and not able to be used.
Following this visit, he had posted an article regarding his experience on social media, which had received 693 engagements and 309 comments.
He hadn’t realised the extent of the concerns regarding the poll until people stopped him in the Town Centre to comment on his article and some of the feedback had been about how, 50 years ago, the swimming pool had been a great social leveller.
There were four things that Hitchin was recognised for being, the Church, the market square, the view from Windmill Hill and the 80 year old Outdoor Pool that characterised the Town and at which he, had many years ago, spent a summer as a lifeguard.
Mr Bunker stated criticisms were not aimed at the staff, who worked extremely hard, but he was concerned that the pool was not being looked after by the management and gave the following examples of areas of concern:
· Dirty water in the pool that resulted in 40 percent being roped off as unusable;
· Dirty lavatories.
One of the reasons given for dirty water was sun cream, and he acknowledged that more people used sun cream as a matter of course than 50 years ago, but stated that if proper maintenance was carried out for instance care of filters and with the installation of modern technology, clean water was possible.
However there was a more basic problem that could help prevent dirty water in that the paths had not been swept for weeks and there was no longer a footbath to clean your feet before entering the pool,
He expressed concern regarding the change in the Health and Safety culture that had resulted in removal of the diving boards and the prevention of lilos and balls in the pool which meant there was nothing for children to play with in the pool and it was no longer fun.
There used to be a large area of grass for children to play on whilst not swimming and this had been gradually reduced over time and there was now no direct access from the grass to the pool. Mr Bunker suggested that a small piece of Butts Close be integrated into the swimming pool to enable swimmers to play games on.
Members re-iterated that the increased use of sun cream did indeed have an effect on the visibility of the water and therefore the safety when swimming.
They advised that the Manager of the pool was more than happy to have a users forum meeting and reminded people that, in the past, the pool used to close for two hours to enable cleaning to take place and that patrons had to pay again to use it in the afternoon, whereas it currently remained open all day.
In respect of Mr Bunker’s comments regarding children not having fun at the pool, Members refuted this and commented that the children who used the pool did have a lot of fun.
Members acknowledged that there may be improvements that could be made, but also noted that usage rates was weather dependent and that when the sun went in the pool usage reduced dramatically.
They commented that Health and Safety was vital and should not be dismissed and noted that no complaints had been made to the Council regarding these issues.
The Chairman thanked Mr Bunker for his presentation.