Fears port pool could close unless town council take it on
By Herald Express | Thursday, February 02, 2012, 08:00
COUNCILLORS want to see Brixham's Shoalstone Pool kept open — but not at the expense of tax payers in the port.
Torbay and town councillor Mike Morey warned that if Brixham Town Council did not take over the running of the pool from Torbay Council, the facility could close.
He said: "Torbay Council said it could not guarantee Shoalstone Pool would stay open if we don't take it on.
"It has offered the income from both car parks and cafe near the pool.
"We have to be careful Torbay Council doesn't off load anything on to us, but we have a duty to try to preserve that pool for the community.
"It is a well-used and well-loved pool, so it would be wrong for us to tell Torbay Council to get stuffed."
However, other councillors said that like the town hall, Shoalstone Pool should pay its way before Torbay Council unburdens itself with it.
Torbay Council said the pool costs £50,000 a year to maintain which is partly offset by the £18,000 in revenues from the nearby cafe and car park.
Cllr Chris Lomas said: "Torbay Council is spending a lot of money on its beaches around the Bay.
"St Mary's in Brixham could be a beautiful beach but Torbay Council does not spend a penny on it.
"Shoalstone Pool is the nearest thing we have to a beach in the summer.
"It is always packed. It is a tourist draw. It would be very shortsighted of Torbay Council to want to close it down.
"If we take it on, it must come with the necessary funds to maintain it."
Cllr Lynne Armstrong added: "What iconic building or tourist attraction is being closed down in Torquay or Paignton?"
Fellow town councillor Brian Harland added: "Is Torbay Council trying to off load Brixham? Shoalstone Pool is a tourism asset."
Town council chairman Cllr Martyn Hodge said all the views needed to be heard before the authority decided to take on the pool. He said: "We should send a questionnaire to every household in Brixham to ask for their views. Otherwise running the pool could end up costing £5 in precept. In times of recession, it is a lot of money."
The council decided to gather more information before voting.
Comments
On this same page is
"TORBAY Council is investing to save money by pumping some £3million into Torquay's Riviera International Conference Centre"
It would appear there is not one person on the Torbay Council that can even count on their fingers.
Three million for a rubbish building! nothing for Brixham, the Bay Tax payers were promised the ERIC center would not cost a penny, it did not it cost us 300 million penny's this year alone and now we could lose our pool to prop up a financial leak in Torquay.
As dmarie1982 points out 1 thousand pounds per week, rubbish!
The volunteers keep the cost to a minimum well below the 1K per week.
False accounting is a criminal offence, publish the true costs to the penny.
Trev
By tatxtal at 15:51 on 04/02/12
ReportHaving lived opposite the pool for most of my life and witnessed the daily running of the pool- I would like to know how it costs 50k a year?? Just over 4k a month?! It gets painted just before summer, and cleaned out maybe twice during the season. They have life guards for a couple of months and In the winter its closed.
By dmarie1982 at 09:49 on 03/02/12
Report