Campaigners pledge to fight for pool's future

Campaigners fighting to reopen a town's mothballed swimming pool said they were redoubling their efforts to ensure its future despite a recent funding bid having been "frozen".

In March, the then Conservative government approved a grant of about £14m for the refurbishment of Bingley Pool as part of an award via the Towns Fund.

But in August, the BBC revealed that all Towns Fund schemes not past a certain stage had been put on hold while the new Labour government reassessed them.

Jeremy Thackray, from the Friends of Bingley Pool, said the group was liaising with Anna Dixon, the town's new Labour MP, to try to ensure the Levelling Up bid would still go through.

Mr Thackray, co-chair of the Friends group, said: "We know Anna Dixon has reached out to ministers asking for the £14m of funding awarded to Bingley Pool in March to be kept, to be unfrozen.

"We're going to be asking individual residents - but also organisations, businesses in the town and schools - to reach out to her in support of this facility being rebuilt, renovated and reopened in whatever way that gets swimming back to Bingley."

Mr Thackray said the cash bid was vital for the future of the pool, which had been closed since 2020, as it would provide much needed funding from central government.

"We know Bradford Council does want to deliver this, but equally they will only be able to do this once the funding is back in place," he said.

Ms Dixon said the previous government had left a "black hole" in the country’s finances and the money for Bingley "simply wasn’t there".

However, she added: “I have been in contact with government ministers and will do everything I can to push for the money awarded for the Bingley Pool project to be honoured.

"I recognise the vital contribution to health and wellbeing of access to swimming facilities and the wider benefits of this redevelopment to Bingley."

Meanwhile, Ms Dixon said she would also work with local councillors to try to secure a future for the baths.

In May, a report to councillors outlined the costs of bringing Bingley Pool back into use in various forms.

Those options included running a six-lane 25m pool costing about £17m, running a four-lane 25m pool costing about £15m, or demolishing the pool building and building an entirely new facility at a cost of about £18m.

The pool was originally built in 1927 after a campaign by residents and town councillors dating back to the 19th Century.

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