Free swimming sessions to be axed as appeal fails

Medway Council rejected an appeal to save free swimming sessions

Plans to axe free swimming for children in Medway will go ahead after an appeal against the decision was rejected.

Medway Council said it needed to cancel free swimming sessions for under-16s so it could save money and avoid effective bankruptcy.

The council said it was preparing alternatives to make swimming “as affordable as possible”.

But more than 200 campaigners had said it was not clear how the poorest people in the area would be supported.

The regeneration, culture and environment overview and scrutiny committee met on 26 March.

It considered a petition asking it to reverse plans to scrap free swimming at Medway Park, Strood and Hoo sports centres.

Water safety

Stuart Bourne, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Gillingham and Rainham, spoke on behalf of the 201 petitioners.

He said axing free sessions might cost the authority more than it saved, as parents could stop taking their children swimming altogether.

Children will be able to swim for £1 if accompanied by a fee-paying adult, the council said.

If all free-swimmers were put off it could cost the council £74,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Labour and Conservative councillors both said it was important to teach children about water safety and said council cabinet members should reconsider scrapping the scheme.

However, committee chairman Alex Paterson said was wary of sending the matter back to cabinet as it had already been debated and it would not "change the fundamentals".

Seven out of 12 councillors voted against sending the matter back to cabinet members.

Instead, recommendations to publish additional detail behind the decision and that an analysis of school’s access for swimming lessons be done were agreed unanimously by the committee.