York Council paid operators £500,000 to keep Waterworld open during 2014

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.

Swimming pool useage 12 15

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

York swimming pools attendance figures shock

Yearsley still second most popular facility in City

Waterworld - closed by the York Council this month

Waterworld – closed by the York Council this month

Figures released today, by the York Council under Freedom of Information legislation, cast further doubts on the wisdom of jettisoning the Yearsley swimming pool.

The figures reveal that last year Yearsley had 118,611 users compared to 110,231 at Waterworld (which has now been closed by the Council) and fewer again at the new York Sports Village.

The latter, in its first full year of operation, had 110,218 customers making it the least popular swimming facility in the City.

Swimming pool attendances and subsidy costs Click to enlarge

Swimming pool attendances and subsidy costs Click to enlarge

The new pool does, however, seem to have attracted some additional customers as total swims in the City (excluding private and school based pools) rose from 508,125 in 2012/13 to 522,65 last year.

The figures also reveal that swimming receives a £1/2 million subsidy each year from taxpayers. That is relatively modest comparison to historical investment levels.

While Yearsley is the most expensive pool to operate, it doesn’t enjoy any cross subsidy from other activities – like fitness and studio work – which accounted for most of the income at the other pool sites.

Without the cooperation of Nestle, who own the surrounding land, it would be impossible to increase the range of sports catered for at the Yearsley site.

All in all, closing both Waterworld and Yearsley and replacing the facilities with a single – sports village style  clone pool – does increasingly seem to be a major misjudgement by the Council.

Residents are clearly looking for a wider range of water activities and locations in the City.