Councillors say champion's pool should be saved

Kara Hanlon won four gold medals at this summer's Island Games in Orkney

Councillors say a swimming pool in the Western Isles where champion swimmer Kara Hanlon trained should be saved from closure.

The decision to shut Lionel pool in Lewis, along with another pool at Shawbost, was made in February but brought to wider attention by islanders earlier this month.

The closures would help the islands' local authority, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, to make budget savings of almost £1.4m.

But Point councillor Norrie MacDonald told a meeting on Tuesday he doubted anyone would have "consciously agreed" to closing the pools, and suggested the impact of the cuts was missed in the detail of the budget.

Hanlon is the most successful swimmer to come from the Western Isles, having won 17 medals for the region's team at the Island Games over the years.

She has also competed for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and spent much of her childhood training in Lionel swimming pool.

Her mother, Marilyn, told BBC Naidheachdan earlier this month: "Kara used Lionel all the time.

"Without it she wouldn't be where she is today."

"It's disappointing because the council aren't seeing that other swimmers could come through from the island who could be just as good or better than her."

Many children have learned how to swim at Lionel Swimming Pool

Mr MacDonald told the comhairle's education committee he believed councillors could reserve the decision.

He said: "We might have agreed to whatever proposal was buried in the minutiae of all the detail.

"Nothing is set in stone. If we agreed on something that we weren't aware of the consequences of, we can change our minds, because that's our prerogative in here."

Stornoway South councillor Rae Mackenzie told the meeting he felt more would be lost than gained by proceeding with the closures.

The meeting also heard that local groups were interested in taking over Lionel's pool.

Stornoway South councillor Angus McCormack said councillors had "all the facts" when the decision was taken in February.

He said: "It wasn't a good decision then.

"And there's a whole host of other decisions that we took in February, which I didn't like very much, but we took them nonetheless."

Mr McCormack said councillors had to consider what next steps could be taken.

Officials said the education committee could not change the decision made on the budget.

They recommended the comhairle proceed with a consultation on the proposals.

Additional reporting by local democracy journalist Peter Urpeth.