When we started our successful Save Our Swimming campaign, we had no doubt that it was the right thing to do.

The campaign was, of course, in response to consultants’ proposals that would have led to the closure of some of the district’s best-loved pools, which we and readers believed was simply wrong.

The initiative was so successful that the report was binned and a new, more acceptable approach to swimming pool provision put in its place.

But there were also other factors which supported our stance, foremost among them being the need for people to have access to exercise.

We took the view that swimming is an excellent activity that people need little persuasion to take-up, provided it is easily available and affordable for them to do so.

The latest figures showing more than 280,000 people – including more than 60,000 over-60s – have taken advantage of free swimming sessions in Bradford since their introduction last April shows how true that was.

Indeed, the district has repeatedly had some of the highest take-up figures in the whole country.

It would be fair to say that free swimming has proved its worth – and that being the case, would it not be reasonable to see if it can be made a permanent state of affairs for the two age groups beyond the current funding, even against the backdrop of tougher public spending limits?