I am delighted to see that Woking Borough Council appears to have listened to the impressive campaign to save Pool in the Park.

Following the mass public outcry, with over 8,000 people backing our campaign to save the pools, the Lib Dem administration has seemingly U-turned on their original decision to close them. The matter will be discussed at this week’s meeting of the council executive.

I want to warmly thank and pay tribute to all those who have supported or led the various threads of this brilliant campaign to save the pool, including the fantastic Woking Pool Community Action Taskforce that has done vital work and persuasive lobbying.

Like thousands of other pool users, I have visited and used Pool in the Park countless times, including teaching my daughter to swim there.

Over the past three months, I have been meeting many residents and different community groups in Woking and our villages to discuss what Pool in the Park means to them, and this has encouraged me to redouble my efforts in the campaign to keep it open. 

What’s always been clear is that this facility is so much more than a pool. It is a place for people to learn to swim, to rehabilitate from injuries, to maintain health and wellbeing, to participate in sport or swimathons, to socialise and for families to have fun together.

I am pleased that the council is now reconsidering its initial approach. Increasing fees and charges is never particularly welcome, but so long as they remain affordable and in line with other local-authority pool charges, I think this step will be accepted if it helps ensure that the pools remain open. It’s a shame that they didn’t consider such an obvious measure when they first came out with their proposal for closure. It has caused far too much upset and worry to people. 

It’s also vital that the council adopts measures that will ensure the future of Pool in the Park. Without a more robust and broad-based plan, the council administration is, I fear, simply setting itself up to fail on this in a year or two. 

Those taking a keen interest in the details will know that the council has presented a somewhat shambolic face to the world on this issue. The leader of the council suggested the annual cost was £1 million in subsidises, whereas the council papers stated that it was £700k. But, following a large amount of scrutiny led by Cllr Kevin Davis and other councillors, it soon became clear that the true cost to the council is significantly less than either of those figures.

As previously reported in this paper, last month I unveiled a five-point plan that I believe would ensure the future of this vital community asset. My five-point plan includes giving Freedom Leisure, which runs the centre, more independence to manage the service away from Woking Borough Council. It also includes treating the profitable Eastwood Leisure Centre and Pool in the Park as one service; introducing a ringfenced fund for maintenance and improvements in the future; working with local groups to determine optimum pool temperatures, and reducing utility costs; and ensuring that the cost of using leisure facilities in Woking remains broadly in line with other boroughs whilst also making a more significant contribution towards running costs.

Thank you again to everyone who has backed this terrific campaign. The petition achieved over 8,000 signatures; the non-partisan community Facebook group ‘‘Woking Says No to Closing Pool in the Park’’, that I helped to set up, gained over 4,000 members; and a particular thank you to all those who joined me in handing out ‘‘Save the Pool’’ leaflets and speaking to users of the pool about this important campaign over the past few months. 

It only goes to show that, when we all pull together, amazing results can be achieved.