Woking's Pool in the Park is to remain open after a determined public campaign to save the popular leisure venue.

In his regular News & Mail column, Cllr Will Forster, deputy leader of Woking Borough Council’s ruling Liberal Democrats, reveals that he is “delighted to announce plans to keep Pool in the Park open”. 

He said: “The Lib Dems running Woking council, in consultation with local residents, are in the final stages of drafting a detailed agreement to make Woking’s main swimming pool financially sustainable and self-funding by increasing charges to use it.”

The plans are due to be debated and decided at the council’s executive meeting next Thursday (December 14).

Such was the strength of public feeling, the proposed phased closure of the pool drew the most comments in the recent six-week service review consultation run by the council, which received 5,801 individual responses. A separate petition urging the council to reconsider the proposed closure attracted more than 6,000 signatures in its first week.

“I’m delighted to say the Lib Dems running the council have a plan to save Pool in the Park,” Cllr Forster added. “Not surprisingly, the possibility of closing the pool was the most commented-on issue in the public consultation.

“We have listened and found a way make Pool in the Park financially sustainable by increasing usage charges.  

“These charges will not be prohibitive and are based on benchmarking showing Woking’s current charges are low in comparison to neighbouring councils.”

Cllr Forster's column will be on the News & Mail website this evening (December 7).