Pool closed in December despite huge subsidy to contractors GLL
The scale of the problems facing the York Council, as it agonises over whether to include a new swimming pool at the Community Stadium, have become apparent with up to date pool usage figures having now been published.
The figures confirm that only around 80,000 people had passed through the turn-styles at the Waterworld facility in the 9 months leading to its closure in December 2014. Both Energise (180,000 visitors) and Yearsley (121,843)visitors) were more popular, as was the Sports Village pool which is run without a Council Taxpayers subsidy (although part of the costs of building the pool were covered from the money received from the sale of the Barbican site).
There are many other pools at private sports clubs like Roko in Clifton which are run as commercial operations. It is possible that these facilities have gradually, over the years, drawn customers from the public pools.
The figures confirm a demand for about 500,000 visits per year to civic swimming pools in York.
What is obvious now is that, to spread that demand across four pools, would not be financially viable fro a cash strapped Council.
It also raises question marks about GLL and their ability to manage facilities without a taxpayers subsidy. In theory Waterworld plus the adjacent gym should have been profitable. That it apparently wasn’t – even when the costs of the adjacent stadium had been removed – will lead to some challenging questions when the next Community Stadium project is considered by the Council on 27th August
GLL were appointed, by the last Council, as the preferred bidder to run all leisure facilities on the City earlier in the year
