Council rejects free swim scheme

Hundreds of councils in England have joined the scheme

A Greater Manchester council has said it cannot afford to join a government scheme to provide free swimming for the over-60s.

Under plans announced in September by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, local authorities are being offered £60,000 a year to subsidise the scheme.

But Trafford Council says it earns about double that amount each year from pensioners who pay to go swimming.

Mr Burnham said most councils had opted to take part in the scheme.

"It's a decision for those authorities that have stayed out, but I'm confident that the offer we've put on the table is attractive enough.

"Three hundred councils up and down the country have said they want to do it with us."

'Funding formula'

Trafford Council said it earned £120,000 a year from those pensioners who paid, so by joining the scheme it would lose out financially.

John Reilly, Councillor for Davyhulme, said: "They're basing their funding formula on per head of population, rather than participation levels as they stand now in Trafford.

"If you're an authority which hasn't encouraged senior citizens to swim over the years, the funding might look attractive, but not in the case of Trafford because our levels are higher than the funding being offered."

The "free" swimming scheme is part of a government initiative to have two million more people taking part in some form of physical exercise by 2012.