Paddling pool closures threatened

Health and safety costs could spell the end for public paddling pools

Public paddling pools in the Harrogate district could be closed permanently because of the cost of meeting stricter health and safety regulations.

Harrogate Borough Council's cabinet is due to meet on 5 January to consider the future of municipal pools in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Building new water treatment facilities and providing supervision to meet the new regulations would cost £223,000.

Filling in the pools would cost just £15,500, a council report says.

A third option being considered is to provide "an active water feature" in place of the pools at a cost of £224,250.

The pools at Valley Gardens in Harrogate, Bebra Gardens in Knaresborough and Borrage Green in Ripon were temporarily closed earlier this year, although funding was eventually found to keep them open during the summer holidays.

Under the new guidelines, pools must be drained and cleaned each evening instead of the current regime which allows draining and cleaning whenever the council considered it necessary.

Staff praised

Pat Jones, the council's cabinet member for leisure and amenity services, said: "We managed to re-open the pools earlier this year because we had leisure staff willing to transfer their duties to working at the pools and carry out these new procedures.

"However, they did so without toilet, refreshment facilities or shelter. We were particularly grateful to them but these are all things we will have to consider."

York, Scarborough and Leeds had all closed their paddling pools some time ago, she said.

"Others are in a similar position as ourselves, whereby they are considering their position on the provision of paddling pools."