North Yorkshire Council dashes hopes of building new learner swimming pool in Ripon

There have been hopes in the city that a facility to help children under four learn to swim could be built by the new council despite the now-abolished Harrogate Borough Council opening the £18m Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre on Dallamires Lane only two years ago.

The new facility did not include a smaller pool alongside the main pool which has proved to be controversial.

Critics say it’s forcing families with young children to go to Knaresborough, Harrogate or even further afield for swimming lessons.

Parents who formed Ripon Pool Action Group published a survey last year that found there are over 1,000 children of pre-school age living in the Ripon area and the group believes they could all benefit from a learner pool.

At a meeting of Ripon City Council last week, council leader Andrew Williams, who also sits on North Yorkshire Council as an independent, said the city council would be writing to the new authority asking it to commit to building the pool.

But North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director of community development, Nic Harne, said the new council, which is actively looking for fiscal savings, has no plans to build a learner pool.

Mr Harne said: “Residents will understand that it is extremely expensive to build and maintain swimming pools so the right thing to do is to ensure that there are safe and secure facilities to meet the local demand.

"Therefore, we have no plans to build a learner pool in Ripon.”

Leisure facilities in Ripon are run by Brimhams Active, an arm’s length company set up by Harrogate Borough Council.

North Yorkshire Council, which now owns the company, has pledged to undertake a £120,000 review of leisure services with the aim of creating a countywide model for delivering leisure and sport by 2027.

Mr Harne added: “As we bring together our leisure provision under the new council, we are reviewing all our facilities across the county to ensure they continue meet the needs of their communities.”