Campaigners call to keep pool in public hands

An Asset of Community Value application was lodged with Bradford Council in 2020

Campaigners fighting to reopen an historic swimming baths have called on the council to keep the building in public hands amid fears they are set to lose out on millions in funding.

The Friends of Bingley Pool had been due to benefit from a slice of £14m of Levelling Up cash awarded to Bradford Council in March under the previous Conservative government.

However, in August the new Labour government announced it was reassessing applications to the Towns Fund that had not passed a certain stage in the process, including the money awarded to Bradford.

Jeremy Thackray, co-chair of the Friends of Bingley Pool, said the group was now appealing to the local authority to save the building from being sold to a private buyer.

Jeremy Thackray says the group had "other plans" to explore

He said: "The [Autumn] Budget statement said the government is minded to cancel that funding, but there is going to be a last consultation to take place.

"But, it is likely that that funding, sadly, is going to be withdrawn.

"It is of course a significant blow. It was an opportunity to have serious money on the table to regenerate this facility.

"But we do have other plans that we are still going to take up."

Mr Thackray said the Friends would now be asking for the building to be placed into local public ownership

He said: "The pool has an Asset of Community Value (ACV) status on it.

"That means if it is put on a sale list then a local body, the Friends and the town council will be notified. We will have a chance to invoke that status which pauses the sale for six months."

The ACV was applied for to protect the site in Myrtle Place from being sold to the private sector when it first closed in 2020.

Mr Thackray said the Friends hoped they could convince Bradford Council to keep it in public ownership.

He said: "This is prime public land, right in the heart of the town centre. We think it should be kept in public hands to give a good public service."

The building, which opened in 1927, was closed in 2020 after the pandemic struck

Alex Ross-Shaw, the council's Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said it was "obviously disappointed" about the potential withdrawal of funding.

He said: "I know all those who have campaigned so hard for the pool in Bingley including the Friends of group, the local councillors and Anna Dixon MP will share that disappointment."

Ross-Shaw said the council was liaising with government to understand its final position and would continue to make the case for investment into Bingley "as a priority".

He said: "We'll need to consider next steps for the site itself, but obviously delivering any kind of pool facility here will sadly be very difficult."

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