11:49am Monday 1st December 2008
By Jo Winrow
A senior Bradford councillor has criticised a report into swimming provision in the district saying it contains a “serious flaw”.
Councillor David Ward, Liberal Democrat group deputy leader, believes the information has been skewed for east Bradford by including a pool at a members-only club – which is not accessible to everyone.
He argues if you discount the private pool, there is no other community in urban Bradford so far away from a swimming pool.
He said: “The report which the Telegraph & Argus campaigned against in September is a desktop survey which takes no account of the needs of real people.
“It also contains one serious flaw in relation to east Bradford. It includes the pool at a private club in Dick Lane as though this was as accessible to all residents. If you take this pool out of the equation, the nearest pools are in Bowling, which is 2.7 miles away, Pudsey, which is 3.4 miles away, or Eccleshill – 3.7 miles.”
The Council is now consulting on proposals for a showpiece city-centre swimming pool with ice rink, three new pools and the creation of a sporting village at Odsal.
It follows a feasibility study which identifies a need for a 25-metre city-centre pool as well as new pools in South Bradford, Bingley and Queensbury.
Coun Ward is asking for a pool to be built in east Bradford. He also highlighted a problem with five primary schools in the BD3 area, which he says have been unable to teach more than half of their pupils to swim. They are so far from a Council pool the children find it difficult to practise, he said.
Coun Riaz Ahmed said: “Far too many children in our area don’t learn to swim. They miss out on the fun, but more importantly they don’t learn how to stay safe.”
A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We welcome the views of the pubic and will endeavour to consider and reflect their views and the work already carried out in the final facilities plan.”
More than 2,600 people backed the T&A’s Save Our Swimming campaign, which began after the consultants’ initial report favoured closing four pools in the district.
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