KENILWORTH lido will remain closed for the time being as staff prioritise a surge in demand for swimming lessons say district bosses.
The announcement from Warwick District Council (WDC) follows news of the government’s decision to delay further lockdown easing.
The council recently advised it was considering temporarily reopening the outdoor pool at Abbey Fields Leisure Centre ahead of a planned redevelopment – news which was welcomed by campaign group Restore Kenilworth Lido.
But now the authority says the review has taken a backseat in the wake of the government announcement.
WDC tourism and leisure spokesman Coun Liam Bartlett commented: “Although the case for reopening the outdoor pool is still under review, our efforts need to focus on making our pools safe and accessible for as many ‘learn to swim’ sessions as possible, with so many local children missing out on this life skill during the lockdowns.
“In the case of Kenilworth, this will mean keeping the outdoor pool closed, so that we can concentrate our staff time and resources on giving lessons and ensuring that all social distancing protocols required by Swim England remain in place.”
But a spokesperson for the campaign group said he believed the council had no intention of reopening the pool.
He added: “WDC are using the Government announcement as a further reason not to act and will continue to do so, until it is too late to open the pool this season. The campaign group points out that outdoor pools across the country, including those managed by Everyone Active have been open for a while now following the Government’s earlier lifting of Covid restrictions on March 29.
“The Lido Campaign Group has consistently tried to engage with WDC, produced a viable roadmap showing how the outdoor pool could be operated safely and offered volunteer support it has rallied from the wider community to ready the pool for opening, but has been routinely ignored all along. However, we are determined to fight on for the restoration of safe outdoor swimming in Kenilworth.”
