Currently Rutland is the only county in England with no public swimming pool. Catmose pool is closed as Rutland County Council say they cannot afford the repairs needed.

This is totally unacceptable as swimming provides many very important benefits.

These include.

• Swimming is a key life skill that every child should be given the opportunity to learn. 1 in 4 primary school leavers are unable to swim 25m (Swim England research, 2018).
• Local public pools provide affordable access to a form of exercise that’s seen as a valuable life skill and brings people together to learn, bond and get fit.
• Many people using swimming to improve their mental and physical well-being.

There are public swimming pools in Melton, Corby and Stamford but these are simply not accessible for people who do not drive. The bus services are so poor that it makes it much more difficult to get to these pools especially for children’s swimming lessons after school.

It is not right that the only swimming pools in our county are privately owned and not as readily available for the people of Rutland.

Rutland County Council need to decide whether they can repair the pool or if they should be looking for a new development, perhaps to include a children’s splash pad/park like those in Grantham (Wyndham Park,) Wellingborough and Peterborough (Bretton.)

Without a public swimming pool there will be a detrimental impact on people’s mental and physical health. Rutland should have a public pool up to the same standard as Corby has, this could help attract people from out of Rutland to visit and use our pool, as people within our County travel to Stamford, Melton or Corby.

There is very little for young people to do within our county, and perhaps with a rejuvenated pool we can encourage young people to go swimming and encourage a new hobby.

RCC need to decide whether they update and repair what we have, or whether to look at a new premises so Rutland can rival the pool of Corby and the Children’s Splash pad in Grantham.

Ultimately, Rutland County Council MUST find the funding for a public pool as the benefits far outweigh the negatives. This may mean they have to explore other options for funding such as a community run pool.

We call on Rutland County Council to find the funding for this essential facility.