York swimming pool to shut over heavy running costs

The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) announced on Wednesday it would close the New Earswick Swimming Pool from March 2018, and yesterday explained the decision, saying the pool was running at a loss.

A spokesman said: “We cannot commit to the funding it will need to keep the building and equipment running in the long-term. The swimming pool is not open to the public, being used only by pre-booked groups from in and around York, it makes a loss of £132,000 a year, and would cost another £1.3 million to repair.”

Martin Richards, head coach of New Earswick Swimming Club, said plans from 2014 gave three options of how the pool would be redeveloped, but “at no time was there any suggestion that it wasn’t needed or would be closed”.

He said: “They could have consulted with us about increasing income for the building and to see if there was anything we could do.

“On the one hand, the trust has been happy to support the facility and subsidise the cost of hiring it, then on the other they’ve turned to us and said they can’t afford to redevelop and going to have to close.”

The spokesman said the trust was funded by rent and care fees paid by residents, and “because of changes to the rules of what rents we’re able to charge, our financial position is challenging, and we have been downgraded by our regulator”.

He said homes were not at threat, but the trust needed “to be careful not to invest in loss making facilities which offer poor value for money”.

Mr Richards said the pool - which recently marked its 50th anniversary - was open for almost 80 hours and used by more than 500 people a week, and was the closest pool for many children, young families and nearby villages.

Notices have been delivered to homes in New Earswick asking what residents want to see on the pool site, and Mr Richards encouraged people to have their say.

He said: “I would definitely, without a doubt, call for people to ask for it to be retained as a pool.”