St George’s has over 4,500 registered users. 250 people of all ages were accessing the pool each week before the pool was temporarily closed due to the pandemic. We, the Friends of St George’s and our service users and supporters, are extremely concerned to learn that the Council has pulled out of the sale of the pool - where continued community access was agreed - to a local aquatic physiotherapist at the eleventh hour.
This sale appeared in Phase 1 of 22/23 Budget Proposals which were voted through at Full Council.
The Council has stated that it cannot afford to pay the preparation costs for the sale. However, the sale price would more than compensate for this. The refurbishment, re-opening and running costs would be at the buyer’s expense, not the Council’s.
Furthermore, the sale came with a guarantee of 20 hours of community pool use at affordable prices.
Therefore, we cannot understand and do not accept the Council’s decision to ‘mothball’ the facility rather than sell it.
Not allowing the pool to re-open would a have negative impact on the pool’s users. Everyone pays to use the pool to improve their health and wellbeing and for pain relief.
85% of St George’s users have a disability or long-term health condition. 33% of these have a learning disability too. Others used the pool for rehabilitation, often after accidents or surgery. Anyone might have the need to self-refer to St George’s at any time.
St George’s delivers £1,525,000 value to Peterborough each year and there is no other facility like it in the area.
Therefore, we, the undersigned, urge Peterborough City Council to resume negotiations with a local purchaser so that St George’s Community Hydrotherapy Pool will be available for use by Peterborough residents in the months and years to come.
This ePetition ran from 18/04/2022 to 27/05/2022 and has now finished.
769 people signed this ePetition.