RNLI supports campaign to save Cornish leisure centres under threat of closure
Four sites and the hydrotherapy pool at St Austell are currently at risk
Last updated 22nd Nov 2021
The RNLI has backed swimming organisations and charities which have called on Cornwall Council to not allow the closure of leisure centres.
The charity, which is responsible for saving lives at sea, is the latest to support the Save Our Leisure Centres campaign.
Cornwall Council is currently considering the possible closure of leisure centres in Falmouth, Wadebridge, Launceston and Saltash as well as the hydrotherapy pool in St Austell.
It comes after operator GLL said that it could no longer run the facilities without financial subsidy. Cornwall Council says it has no budget for leisure services and that they are not a statutory provision.
The council recently completed a consultation on its leisure strategy which has as one of its main aims that residents should be no more than a 30-minute drive from leisure centres.
However the threatened closure has resulted in campaigns, demonstrations, protests and petitions from people who want their centres to remain open.
They say that it is vital to keep them open and one particular issue is that they provide pools for children’s swimming lessons as well as for lifeguards to train.
And now the RNLI has said that it supports the likes of Swim England which have backed the campaign to keep the centres open.
An RNLI spokesperson said: "A key part of the RNLI’s work is water safety, encompassing many elements of education and prevention. The RNLI is supporting the main swimming governing bodies and swimming charities who have already expressed their views, and will continue to focus on driving water safety awareness and behaviour change across the county".
Swim England has said that it would like to see leisure services made a statutory requirement for local authorities to provide.
The national body said that they were not only important for sports but also for the health and wellbeing of people who use them.
It said that it was estimated that the NHS in Cornwall could save £3million a year if good quality, accessible swimming facilities are available.
Philip Brownlie, head of public affairs at Swim England, said that the group had found that 2,000 swimming pools could close across the country by 2030.
He said: "We would support leisure services being made a statutory service for local councils and the government. The figures show that statutory services have had less cuts then discretionary services and this would be a way of protecting our facilities".
He added: "People being able to stay active and healthy is really important and it would make sense to invest in leisure services to reduce the long-term impact on health services".
A petition launched by Independent councillors, seeking to give all councillors the chance to debate the possible closure of leisure centres, has now reached its signature target.
It required 5,000 to ensure that the issue is debated by the full council before a decision is made and closed with 5,623.