Save Mid Argyll pool campaign

[Tom B]

Interesting to compare the Campbeltown AWP campaign with Lochgilphead/Ardrishaig's struggle to keep their pool open. You can sign their petition here: - http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/sav ... -pool.html

"The board of the Mid Argyll Swimming Pool says it is 'deeply disappointed' by the decision by Argyll and Bute Council to refuse emergency funding of £10,000 to keep the swimming pool afloat.

As one member of MACEL, the swimming pool board, stated, 'Does the council really want to see another boarded up premises in Lochgilphead'? At present the swimming pool is facing a deficit in its annual budget of £10,000, which requires a range of emergency measures to plug it including council support.

Council financial support for the Mid Argyll Swimming Pool, which is run as a community enterprise trust, is miniscule compared to other swimming pools within Argyll such as Oban, Helensburgh and Campbeltown. The pool is well run, and brings in £100,000 annually through paying customers. The MACEL board is currently looking at many imaginative ways of increasing revenue next year, such as increasing memberships, to boost client figures, running events.

Yet the pool cannot remain open without council support. Basic repairs are well overdue, the safeguarding of the pool's staff is vital and in its current financial situation without the council prepared to stand up and pledge its support for such a well-loved facility, the future of the pool remains uncertain.

The problem facing the swimming pool board is that money from various trusts willing to support the pool cannot do so if the pool is financially insolvent. This means that although local trusts and charities have expressed an interest in providing grants, they cannot be forthcoming until the pool's financial future is assured. The pool - and the people of Lochgilphead - are relying on the council to provide this emergency support and agreeing a package of future support to provide this confidence to funding bodies..

MACEL board chairman Stephen Whiston says in a letter of reply to Chief Executive Sally Loudon, "As you may expect, as a Board we are very disappointed with aspects of the response we have received, in particular the decision to refuse emergency funding. No real reason was given, nor were we even told how we might appeal against this decision."

The board has called for a meeting with Mrs Loudon but she has, so far, refused. Stephen Whiston says, "The MACEL Board approach has been one of transparency and a realism that the survival and development of the pool is based on a partnership approach with the council." He says the pool is grateful for the technical and management advice given by the council, and has accepted the offer of bringing forward part payment of its grant from December to January. This gives us another month, but will only be a sticking plaster solution - what is needed now, to keep the swimming pool doors open, is hard cash and public commitment from the council.

Mr Whiston says, "For what is, a relatively small amount of money, does the council really want to see a boarded up and derelict building where once a much-loved and well-used pool stood? This is a vital facility for Lochgilphead, used by schoolchildren, the elderly, the disabled. Our last crisis saw local people rally round magnificently to raise £25,000 with the swimathon, but we cannot continually ask the community alone to stick its hands in its pockets. We need greater help and support from the council, and in return we will do our very best to increase revenue, attract more swimmers , run events and bid for grants to make what is already a splendid swimming pool even more vibrant and welcoming. Lochgilphead should be moving forwards, not backwards."

The swimming pool board is now calling on all of the people of Lochgilphead to show their support for the pool by staging a mass march and demonstration from the pool to the front green on December 19th. Mr Whiston says, "All we are calling for is the council to pick up the baton and run with us in partnership for the good of everyone in this town. - it is now clear "Community and local
Councilors are demanding that the council : Meet these guys and sort a rescue package for the pool ""

[Kintyre Forum News]

Yes Tom it is an interesting one. Here is an update from Argyll & Bute Council provided on their website

Argyll and Bute Council’s Executive has discussed a report on the latest position regarding Mid Argyll Swimming Pool.

The document confirms that the authority continues to provide significant support to the pool’s owner and operator, Mid Argyll Community Enterprise Ltd (MACEL), as it works to overcome its financial difficulties.
This support includes the offer, in principle, to bring forward the grant funding scheduled for payment in the first quarter of 2010/11 to the last quarter of the current financial year.

This offer is conditional on MACEL supplying an acceptable three year business plan projection which demonstrates how it intends to address its deficit as well as increase its trading income and grant funding from external sources.

The company has also been advised that its plan should demonstrate the extent to which it is prepared to adopt potential cost saving measures highlighted by Council staff.

This is the second time the Council has offered to accelerate funding to the pool’s Board. The last grant instalment for 2009/10, which was due to be paid next month, has already been transferred to MACEL.
Argyll and Bute Council Leader, Councillor Dick Walsh, stressed that the Council is committed to continuing to support the facility in overcoming its current problems.

“We are fully aware of the benefits which the pool brings to the community of Mid Argyll, and we have been working very closely with MACEL since it first raised its concerns earlier this year,” he added.

“The support we have been providing – and will continue to provide – includes our staff giving technical and professional guidance to assist in identifying options for reducing running costs and/or increasing income. It also includes helping MACEL try to identify alternative sources of grant funding.”

Councillor Walsh went on to address the criticism the Council has received from various sources for not providing the additional funding which MACEL has requested.

“It is extremely unfortunate that some people have chosen to portray the Council as acting in some way unreasonably or unfairly in this regard,” he added.

“This Council has a duty to comply with various statutory requirements when considering payments to outside organisations.

“One such requirement is that there needs to be a clear and robust financial framework surrounding any payments made, with a risk assessment in place.

“This can only be met if the Council has had the opportunity to review a comprehensive business plan which lays out the income, expenditure and performance targets of the organisation which is requesting the money.

“We look forward to MACEL providing us with such a document so that, in the first instance, we can make arrangements to bring the first tranche of next year’s funding forward into this financial year.

"In the meantime we will continue to work very closely with the pool’s Board, and look forward to assisting it to make further progress in balancing its books over the coming months.”

EDITORS NOTES

Mid Argyll Swimming Pool is owned and operated by Mid Argyll Community Enterprise Ltd (MACEL).

The Council has supported the pool’s operation over a number of years through grant funding, which is paid within the context of a Service Level Agreement.

In the current financial year, that grant funding amounted to £48,394. A further £13,118 was paid to MACEL for the delivery of primary school swimming lessons.

[Kintyre Forum News]

From the Herald - http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/poli ... d-1.995629

Campaigners in fight to save local swimming pool in Lochgilphead

Campaigners fighting to save a rural swimming pool from closure face a crucial month.

They need £10,000 now and an extra £30,000 a year to allow the facility in Lochgilphead to continue.

Argyll and Bute Council has offered to bring forward the first-quarter payment of next year’s annual grant of £48,000 to the last quarter of this financial year. But it is not clear whether that will do more than just buy a little time

The Mid Argyll Swimming Pool opened in March 1996. It is owned and operated by Mid Argyll Community Enterprise, which is a registered charity.

It is located in Lochgilphead but serves a wider community between the Sound of Jura in the west and Loch Fyne in the east. Hundreds marched through Lochgilphead recently to underline how much the pool means, while thousands signed a petition.

They point to the money the council will spend this year on the local pools it owns: Dunoon (£414,801), Helensburgh (£374,752), Campbeltown (£552,640) and Rothesay (£248,577).

The town’s GPs have thrown their weight behind the campaign. In a public statement, they said: “This pool is not just another local amenity. It is the focal point for many activities in an area where facilities are, to say the least, sparse.

“It provides the whole area with a pool for teaching children and adults to swim and the next nearest public swimming pool is 40 miles away in Oban.

“It would not just be the loss of a swimming pool if we were to lose this facility, it would mean that a whole community, living next to the sea and with a beautiful but potentially lethal canal, would be devoid of a facility enabling the young to learn to swim.”

Argyll’s MP Alan Reid and MSP Jim Mather are both backing the campaign. Mr Mather said: “We tried to get the parties all together in December but many people could not make it. We have now scheduled a meeting on January 15 with the charity board and all the other entities that can help – including the council, NHS, the community planning partnership, users and other sports and leisure clubs.”

Argyll and Bute Council said it continued to provide significant support. “This support includes the offer, in principle, to bring forward the grant funding scheduled for payment in the first quarter of 2010/11 to the last quarter of the current financial year.”

The offer was conditional on the charity supplying an acceptable three-year business plan for addressing its deficit and increasing income. It should also be prepared to adopt potential cost-saving measures highlighted by council staff.

[bud]

is the forum going to be worse than the courier for local news being about mid argyll????

[Hels]

Bud I'm afraid I have to disagree with you - I think that this type of thing should be on the kintyre Forum. Kintyre extends to Tarbert making the mid Argyll pool closer for many Kintyre residents than Aqualibrium, so I recon its a topical and relevant local discussion. I also think that as many of our younger residents learned to swim in that pool in the years before Aquilibrium it is probably a matter of interest to many.

I think it would be a great shame to see it close, but with out on-going public sector funding its looking precarious. The pool is well used, but running these buildings is incredibly expensive and there are very few community run pools which are not struggling in these times. It makes me apprecaite the fact that we have a council run and funded facility here in Campbeltown. (would hate to see a community enterprise in Campbeltown having to come up with the reported half a million in running costs for Aqualibrium!) Lets hope something can be done to save the Lochgilpehad pool.

[Kintyre Forum News]

Totally agree Hels, Kintyre covers the whole peninsula and residents in the north of Kintyre make use of this facility so is certainly a local issue to Kintyre.

[jdcarra]

Totally agree Hels, Kintyre covers the whole peninsula and residents in the north of Kintyre make use of this facility so is certainly a local issue to Kintyre.

And it was used a lot by the people of south Kintyre whilst we did not have the swimming pool in Campbeltown.