Pool in the Park prices could rise to save Woking facility

Woking Borough Council's deputy leader said the proposed price rise could put the pool "on a solid footing"

Bankrupt Woking Borough Council could increase the cost of visiting Pool in the Park in an attempt to save it.

But the future of the pool would still not be guaranteed by a price hike, which could lead to a drop in its use.

The issue was the most commented on by residents in a consultation on the future of services in Woking.

The council issued a section 114 notice in June, effectively declaring itself bankrupt and meaning spending on non-essential services would be stopped.

The administration has since been looking at options to keep the pool open, following a petition signed by more than 8,000 people to save the facility.

Plans to increase fees will be discussed at a meeting of the council's executive on 14 December, though the authority warned other options, including community ownership, may be considered in the future if income from the pool dropped.

Councillor Will Forster, Woking's deputy leader, said: "I grew up in Woking and learnt to swim in that pool. When the council launched the consultation, I said I had a huge problem with the prospect of closing the Pool in the Park."

He said the plan involved financial realism but was "the first serious proposal in many years to put Pool in the Park on a solid footing".

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