'Pool closures will harm children's swimming skills'

A total of 21 pools have been closed in the region since 2014

Concerns have been raised about a decline in children's swimming skills after new figures revealed more than 20 pools across north-west England had closed over the last decade.

A total of 21 pools have shut in the region since 2014 - the highest number in the UK - according to the GMB union.

The trade union sent Freedom of Information requests to 12 local councils including Wirral, Tameside and Blackburn with Darwen, asking for details of the number of pools that had been closed.

The BBC has approached several authorities including Wirral Council, St Helens Council, Tameside Council, and Blackburn with Darwen Council for comment.

National officer Kevin Brandstatter said the number was "terrifying" and warned of the potential impact they could have on young people's safety.

"Learning to swim is a basic life skill," he said.

"Splashing in a pool is a fundamental childhood joy - two things being potentially now denied to thousands of youngsters."

Councillor Peter Dean, Oldham Council's cabinet member for culture and leisure, said four older pools had been replaced with two new leisure centres in Oldham and Royton after a review in 2015.

He said the authority was committed to providing accessible and affordable swimming for residents and "giving more children the chance to gain this vital life skill in safe, high-quality facilities".

A Manchester City Council representative said it had not had a net loss of pools during this period, with Chorlton Baths having closed in 2015 because it was more than a century old and no longer fit for purpose.

They said it was replaced by a new facility and pool at Hough End, which opened in 2015.

The council added that, in the meantime, a number of the city's leisure centres and pools had been refurbished and a new leisure centre with a pool had been built in Beswick.

Rochdale Council said their pools were managed by Your Trust and there had been no pool closures during this time.

Campaigners protesting against the closure of Woodchurch Leisure Centre in Wirral in 2022

The number of closures in the region represented about 16% of all swimming pools in the country, the union said.

Among the closures were three in Wirral, two in Tameside and two in the Blackburn with Darwen area.

The GMB is part of a coalition, including the Local Government Association (LGA) and Swim England, which is calling for more funding for leisure facilities.

A report from the coalition said 30% of children in school Year 7 currently could not swim 25 metres confidently, which was up from 27% in 2017/18, while 60% of pools were in need of refurbishment or had exceeded their lifespan.

'Remove barriers'

Liz Green, chair of the LGA's culture, tourism and sport board, said the benefits to the physical and mental health of those relying on such facilities "can be life-changing, yet without urgent investment we risk losing these altogether".

Andy Salmon, chief executive of Swim England, said: "If we want to tackle health inequalities and best support a healthier and happier nation then it's vital we have a network of sustainable pools for people to access."

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it had pledged £400m to support grassroots leisure facilities.

A representative said: "We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups."

Pool closures: Full breakdown by council:

• South Ribble 0

• St Helens 1

• Tameside 2

• Wirral 3

• Chorley 0

• Cheshire East 0

• Trafford 2

• Wigan 0

• West Lancashire 0

• Warrington 0

• Stockport 1

• Rossendale 0

• Salford 0

• Rochdale 1

• Sefton 0

• Ribble Valley 0

• Oldham 4

• Preston 2

• Blackburn with Darwen 2

• Lancaster 0

• Knowsley 0

• Halton 1

• Fylde 0

• Bury 1

• Bolton 0

• Blackpool 0

• Liverpool 0

• Manchester 1

• Preston 0

• Burnley 0

• Cheshire West and Chester 0

• Westmorland and Furness 0

• Wyre 0