Should Axminster residents pay more in council tax to save the Flamingo Pool?

Axminster Town Council has suggested that council tax could be increased in the next financial year, to help save the Flamingo Pool from closure.

The swimming pool trustees last week called a 'crisis meeting' to discuss the future of the facility amid soaring running costs.

More than 200 people attending were told that urgent funding needed to be raised or the pool could be closed in three years' time.

The Flamingo Pool, which was built in 1998 following a huge fundraising effort from the local community, has been run as a charity ever since, unlike many other swimming facilities in the area which are council-run.

As well as a 25-metre swimming pool, it houses the only publicly accessible hydrotherapy pool in the South West, which some have described as a "life line".

After "bouncing back" from the COVID pandemic, the current energy crisis has seen the pool's gas and electricity bills rise by £100,000 this year.

Combined with the ageing boilers, this has prompted the trustees to launch the Jubilee Project, a 15-month fundraising project to tie in with Flamingo's 25th anniversary in 2023.

The project is aiming to raise £250,000 through local fundraising and grant applications to enable the installation of renewable and sustainable energy sources and improvements to the efficiency and existing plant and buildings, so that the pool can be run efficiently, economically and with less pollution to the environment.

The issue was further discussed at a meeting of Axminster Town Council this week, where long-serving member Jeremy Walden suggested that the council tax precept could be increased in the next financial year and pledged to the Flamingo Pool.

The Mayor of Axminster, Cllr Jill Farrow, said: "It's a magnificent facility, including a hydrotherapy pool which is much loved and much used by many members of this community, so we would very much regret losing that pool.

"However, Axminster Town Council does not have £100,000 a year in its back pocket which it can offer to the Flamingo Pool so I don't think, much as we might love to, we can offer to give it support."

Cllr Walden said: "I think it's vital for this town. We decided that we wanted to raise the money voluntarily within this town and we did do so largely, with some help from East Devon, and it would be a sad tragedy if we let it go.

"There are a number of ways we can support it and I would like the town council to look into this."

He said he did not believe a significant donation could be made from the council's reserves as these were already under "strain". However, he suggested raising the town council tax precept specifically for the Flamingo Pool by about £30 a year, with a public consultation to be held beforehand to gauge whether residents were in favour.

With this type of support from the town council, he said the pool was more likely to receive grant funding from other organisations.

Cllr Sarah Birnie backed the proposal, saying the pool was well used by a wide cross section of the community, from schoolchildren and young people to those recovering from knee or hip replacements, and it was also beneficial for mental health.

Cllr Farrow replied: "As I said at the beginning, I am against this. Swimming pools are closing all over the country and, having looked at the figures, it wasn't covering its costs even before COVID."

She suggested the Flamingo Pool should be looking for grant funding from elsewhere.

"As much as our hearts want this – who wouldn't – I'm not happy to go to people who are really going to be struggling this winter to heat their homes and afford meals and increase their tax so we can keep a facility like this," she added.

Cllr Elizabeth Paice agreed that a swimming pool was a "luxury" and many could not afford to use it, and were already struggling to pay their bills.

Other councillors also raised concerns about the cost of holding a public consultation and questioned what other avenues were being explored for grant funding.

It was agreed that town clerk Paul Hayward would prepare a briefing paper on the matter for the council meeting in November, including more detailed figures from the Flamingo Pool and what a public consultation and raising the council tax would entail. It was also agreed to invite a member of the pool trustees to attend the meeting to answer any questions.

The trustees are currently looking for new and younger volunteers, and in particular those with knowledge of applying for grant funding, legal knowledge, experience in project management, fundraising, publicity and builders and contractors. Anyone who wishes to volunteer or share ideas can email [email protected]