Moseley Road Swimming Baths to be run by charitable group

A group of people bidding to save a historic swimming pool have been granted a licence to run the facility.

Moseley Road Swimming Baths is the oldest of three grade II* listed pools still in use in Britain.

Birmingham City Council granted the licence to the Moseley Road Baths Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) at a cabinet meeting.

The woman who chairs the Moseley Road Baths CIO said it was "all we could have hoped for and more".

The council said it would continue to maintain the building and is spending a total of £200,000 on repairs and maintenance.

But it is now the CIO, formed by Moseley Road Baths Action Group, which will run the baths, where one of the two pools is open for swimming.

Karen Leach, who chairs the CIO, said: "We are thrilled with the outcome.

"We will maintain swimming at these beautiful baths and a process has been started to repair and restore the building.

The baths looked set to close last summer, but the council put it off so community groups could have more time to prepare plans.

Historic England, the National Trust and the World Monuments Fund are providing £1m between them to help secure the future of the building.

The CIO will take over all swimming activities on 3 April, after it successfully crowd-funded £26,000 to recruit and train volunteer lifeguards and swim leaders.

Councillor Ian Ward, Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, said: "I know how much Moseley Road Baths mean to the community and the campaigners deserve a great deal of credit for their dedication over a number of years."

Moseley Road Baths is the only grade II* listed pool in Britain built before 1914 that is still open for swimming.