In a report  published today: "A Decade of Decline: The Future of Swimming Pools in England", Swim England draws attention to the fact that nearly 2,000 swimming pools built in the 1960s and 1970s could be lost forever

Swim England stresses the need NOW for investment in refurbishing existing swimming pools as well as building new pools in local authority areas where there is a shortage of public swimming pools

We need NOW to spread the word across the Borough that The Kingfisher Leisure Centre must NOT be demolished. The leisure centre was only built in 1984 and can be refurbished to provide  years and decades of use by the local community

If Kingston Council demolishes the Kingfisher, we will be left with only one 25 metre pool in the whole Borough

Why then is Kingston Council not refurbishing The Kingfisher Leisure Centre and simultaneously seeking to invest in a new pool in Chessington or Tolworth, where there are no public swimming pools at all? 

Kingston residents will have paid to demolish our Kingfisher's valued facilities leaving us with nothing

Why doesn't Kingston Council simply fix the roof? 

We have no idea of whether the council will actually ever redeliver the same facilities or any of the facilities offered by The Kingfisher again in the future

There is no funding and there are no firm plans in place for such a pool. 

Here are some excerpts from the statement made by Jane Nickerson, Chief Executive of Swim England, in launching the report and which you can read in full through the above link:

 ... "Swim England is now backing calls for the Government to commit to investing £1 billion into public leisure facilities to help refurbish existing pools – as well as building the new ones needed in the future.

“Pools are hubs of the local community, helping people of all ages to lead healthier, happier lives and saving the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

“They are also the places where millions learn a skill that could one day save their life – or someone else’s.

“It’s particularly timely that we’re discussing this as today marks National Fitness Day, where we celebrate the vital role of leisure centres and gyms and the positive impact they have on so many lives.

“It reminds us that it’s more important than ever to ensure we have the facilities we need for people to continue to enjoy in the future. “Without adequate investment into the new pools this country needs, we are forecasting a huge decline in the available water space by the end of the decade, threatening the future of our sports, leaving millions shut out of the activities they love and widening health inequities.

“The time to act is now.”

The report highlights that almost a quarter of local authorities (23 per cent) in England have a deficit of at least one average-sized swimming pool.

Swim England is also asking local authorities to conduct an analysis of its pool stock to understand if it has the right pools in the right place to meet the needs of the community.

The governing body has a dedicated facilities team, which provides expert guidance on new and refurbished pool designs and facility management.

Jane added: “This is a very worrying report which could impact on millions of people across the country.

“We hope the Government and local authorities will take note and work with us to prevent these concerning predictions from becoming a reality.”