News / Bristol
‘Jubilee Swimming Pool will remain open’
Campaigners fighting to keep Jubilee Pool open are calling for assurance that accessible swimming for all will be safeguarded across Bristol.
City council plans to cut its subsidy for the vital sports facility in the heart of Knowle’s community met with widespread opposition and sparked a petition that gained more than 6,000 signatures.
In an exchange that became increasingly fraught, friends and users put a passionate case to councillors at a meeting on Tuesday, saying the pool provides opportunities for people in some of the city’s most deprived areas, including children and disabled swimmers.
is needed now More than ever
The council was also challenged on an official paper trail that led to confusion over whether the pool was actually ever under threat, due to an ‘error’ in an initial headline referring to ‘the closure of the Jubilee Swimming Pool’.
Deputy mayor Asher Craig stressed the intention was not, and never had been, to close the pool despite the withdrawal of the council subsidy and confirmed that talks are underway with Parkwood Leisure to agree a five-year lease.
Speaking on behalf of the Friends of Jubilee Pool, Nicola Skinner said questions still need to be asked and stated the meeting itself reflected the same confusion that campaigners had met with while trying to gain clarity on the future of the facility.
“We are here to demonstrate how vital the pool is for South Bristol’s happiness, success, and well-being and to seek a renewed pledge from the council to protect the city’s health through accessible, long-term, and sustainable swimming for all,” she said.
She spoke of the children, with their different needs and backgrounds, who see the pool as a home from home and described it as a ‘special’ place that is accessible, friendly and part of the fabric of the community.
Skinner called on the council to work with them to ensure the facility is safe for ever, not just the next five years.
Lib Dem Gary Hopkins challenged Labour colleagues on the apparent U-turn over plans to close the pool and got into a heated exchange with Craig who accused him of being a “hypocrite” as other swimming pools had closed under his party’s administration.
Roger Turnstall, a resident of South Bristol for 37 years, said friends of the pool had encountered difficulties in trying to get in touch with Parkwood about the future of Jubilee.
Mayor Marvin Rees said he would get in touch with the company and ask it to communicate with the group and added: “I can acknowledge that there was an error in papers and I also acknowledge the validity of your case.”
Read more: Fight to save Jubilee Swimming Pool
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