But on Thursday, Elected Mayor Mark Meredith revealed the pool would stay open after checks showed the predicted savings could not be found.

Mr Meredith and the council's portfolio holder for community engagement, councillor Mohammed Pervez, told Dimensions staff and reporters that the discovery came to light during a comprehensive review of the cuts put forward in the budget.

Mr Pervez also denied that any final decision was ever taken to shut the pool, accusing the media of presenting "rumours" of the pool's imminent closure as fact.

But Dimensions campaigner and former UN economic adviser Alison Wedgwood said closure proposals should not have been put to the council if the figures didn't add up. "I am ecstatic about the decision to keep Dimensions open, but am extremely concerned that the council can announce the closure of the swimming pool without doing their sums first," she said.

"The council cannot make spurious announcements that affect thousands of lives in the city. The staff at Dimensions have had months of worry and insecurity about their jobs. I feel that heads must roll.

"I seriously question the overall management of the council and believe the fault must lie ultimately with a weak chief executive and poorly instructed officers, coupled with the fact that there is no overall political control leading the council," said Mrs Wedgwood, pictured left.

"Who ultimately had ownership of the decision to include the closure of Dimensions in the budget? Where did the £60,000 figure come from?

"These questions need asking. The Dimensions disaster should not be brushed under the carpet. Those involved should admit their mistakes and action should be taken," she added. Councillor Ann James, the leader of the City Independent group, said she backed Mrs Wedgwood's call for an inquiry.

"I do think it should be investigated because no-one has seen those figures and they were supposed to have been presented to the overview and scrutiny committee," she said.

Potteries Alliance group leader, councillor Peter Kent-Baguley also supported calls for an inquiry.

"I think it is essential that the scrutiny committee continues its investigation," he said.

"But there should also be a thorough investigation into how the decision was initially formulated, on what basis, who produced the analysis and what has gone wrong with it. We also need to know what the implications from that mistake are and how many other mistakes were woven into the budget."

The elected mayor has given assurances that a comprehensive review into all of the service cuts included in the current budget will continue and that its findings will be reported later in the year.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council Press Release:


An email from the Elected Mayor to Councillors:

Dear Colleague

I just wanted to let you know that at 3pm today I am announcing that the Dimensions Splash Pool will be staying open.

I met with the management and staff at Dimensions first.  It's only fair that they heard it from me first instead of having to find out about their future through the media.

As you know, the proposed closure of the splash pool has been the subject of a leisure services review.  Provisional findings show that it makes economic sense to keep it open.  The full report won't be published for some weeks but I felt it important to share this information with you as soon as possible.

It is also part of my commitment for healthy living and generally improving the fitness and lifestyles of the people of Stoke-on-Trent.

I'm also delighted that since the original closure plan was announced numbers using the centre have gone up.

Please contact me if you want to know anything more.

Best wishes
 
Mark Meredith
Elected Mayor

Unfortunately, SoDS were excluded from the press conference by the Council's PR department, so we are not able to report exactly what was said. However, we presented the final 3,800-odd signatures of the petition to Councillor Mohammed Pervez, and talked to the Elected Mayor.

Wednesday, April 09 2008

The following speech was read to the full Council meeting on Thursday 27/03/08:

The pester factor is always present in the school holidays. “Can we go to …?” “Can we go to …?” Usually the places where children want to go are establishments where the food is not the healthiest, but whose advertising is the most effective. The answer is no. “But we never do anything!”

I have tried many different places, some in the City, some outside. Most places held interest for an hour or two. Finish. Then I discovered Dimensions. Now, the refrain is “Can we go to Dimensions? Pleeeaaase!”

It is very hard to refuse. The children have fun, are in a safe environment, and are taking exercise. Entry does not break the bank. A parent’s dream. Last Sunday, I took three nine- and ten-year olds of mixed swimming ability to the pool. All loved their time there so much that they begged to be taken back the next day. Because of the low entrance charges, I was able to indulge them.

The pool also has its serious side. Stoke-on-Trent is a City of water. Children in Stoke need to be able to swim – the earlier they learn, the better. Anybody who visits Dimensions will see many young children being introduced to water by their parents. These youngsters will grow up without fear of water, and with the ability to swim. These children will not become one tragic statistic in Stoke’s history.

Yes, there are other Council-run swimming facilities in the City. None cater for the very young, the disabled or the elderly in quite the same way as Dimensions. There is a common misconception that it is just a big paddling pool – it is not. By repeatedly climbing 35-foot stairs to the entrance of a 200-foot slide, and by swimming against the current in the rapids, I took more exercise than I have for a while. The hot pools calmed my arthritic knee. I was able to have fun with the children in my care while at the same time benefiting my personal health. The same could be said for all the families who use the pool.

Dimensions meets Government targets on getting more people into sport and healthy lifestyles – some 2500 per week.

It helps the fight against obesity.

In a particularly deprived area of Stoke, it supports family cohesion - parents bonding with their children.

From the economic point of view, we are told that so much money will be saved. What we are not told are the hidden costs of closure - the decommissioning costs, the costs of redundancies, the cost of future health problems, the ability of Dimensions to operate at all when the largest part of its revenue stream is removed, and the costs to the North of the City in lost visitor numbers. No rational financial decision can be made without factoring in these costs.

We ask the Council to delay the implementation of the decision for six months to facilitate detailed consultation and discussions on increasing the health and sporting potential of the Dimensions complex.

The Council voted to refer the Dimensions question to the Improving Communities Scrutiny Committee.

Joan Walley, M.P.
Support for Dimensions Splash

As reported in The Sentinel, Friday 21^st March 2008

Thousands of people are fighting plans to close the splash pool at Dimensions Leisure Centre.

The closure will save Stoke-on-Trent City Council £60,000. Here, Stoke-on-Trent North MP Joan Walley explains why the council is wrong.

Last Saturday morning I went down to Dimensions to remind myself of the success of the splash pool. It was a sight for sore eyes. Youngsters and mums and dads, grandmas and granddads wading in from the tiled shore, wallowing on the water, having fun and quality time together. They were loving being there

What about the rest of the week? I wondered. It's the same story. Mums and toddlers in the starter's pool. 480 swimming lessons took place last year. Aqua tots and muscle toners, and sensory stimulation for those with special needs, not to mention those with knee and hip replacements struggling to get their life back together.

Then there's the rest of the facility. Admittedly Dimensions could do more. But the two successful Lottery applications which I cajoled and encouraged the council to make provide a wonderful gym and football training/pitch service. Yes, they need investment. Yes, Dimensions could do more. But my goodness, what it does achieve is worth its weight in gold for the way it keeps youngsters and families in one piece.

So I could hardly believe my ears when word got out that the splash pool is to close to apparently save £60,000 from the city council's budget.

Just whose bright idea came up with a £60,000 saving? Exactly how have the costs of decommissioning, job transfers, replacing 480 swimming lessons elsewhere in the city, been calculated?

I shall be asking the Primary Care Trust to calculate the cost to ill health of taking away these facilities. And the cost of social cohesion of putting at risk the viability of the football training pitches.

The decision is not a decision in my name.

The people of Burslem were short changed when the pool was first built. They were originally promised a full-size pool and splash pool.

All they got was a splash pool without the full-size swimming pool because the council, in its wisdom, diverted its budget from Burslem to complete the Civic Centre extension. We should not lose out a second time.

Stoke-on-Trent is only surpassed by Sandwell when you look at participation in sports rates. Take Dimensions away and we'll hit rock bottom.

Just over 47 years ago I was living in Biddulph and taking part in seemingly non-stop sponsored events to raise money for the Biddulph swimming pool. Biddulph didn't have a pool, and wanted to follow the example of its Potteries' neighbours. We raised the money.

But for special days out we would venture to the open air pool at Trentham. And what a treat that was.

Many years later, the famed South London Brockwell Lido was in the ward I represented in the Lambeth Council. But when councillor colleagues recommended raiding that budget for savings, I led the campaign to safeguard a community facility loved by all. Common sense eventually prevailed to the extent that 25 years later it is now one of the acclaimed outdoor lidos in the country.

So imagine my distress to learn that the pool in Burslem which I and the then local councillors, including Jean Edwards, campaigned for to replace the former Burslem pool, is to close.

To close without any consultation with users, local groups, or even apparently with Sport England and the bodies which are there to achieve the government's targets for joined up delivery of participation in sport, recreation, improved health and well being.

Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Councils are up there among the best vying for permission to attract Olympic teams.

And the city council is being held to account by Government to meet performance management targets for health and sport.

Yet deleting a line in the budget and closing Dimensions will jeopardise all of this.

So what is to be done? My answer is clear. Think again.

No-one ever lost faith by taking account of new information and the bigger picture. Look at the positives that Dimensions already gives us. Look to see how the Sports Strategy commissioned by Sport England and the above-inflation funding to the PCT could enhance participation in sport, building on Dimensions splash pool.

Look to see how to design a community sports village/hub of distinction that brings all groups together. There are solutions, but they are long-term.

We will not close the health inequalities gap overnight. Neither will knee-jerk responses to budget shortfalls add up to cost savings.

We will pay a terrible price for ill thought out short-term measures.

On behalf of my constituents I have asked for a meeting with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Sport England and the PCT to find a solution.

I am grateful for all those who have contacted me on this and assure them that I will do all I can to support any move which will keep Dimensions' splash pool open - for all our sakes.

I am writing to ask if you will consider representations from me that a way should be found of keeping Dimensions Pool open and using it to reinforce the current and possible extended facilities. Will you meet with me to discuss this?

I thought it would be helpful if I summarised the history of this facility as I am aware that the council may not be familiar with the background to Dimensions, and also give you a list of the concerns I and constituents have about your decision.

Background

Burslem always had a swimming pool. The campaign to replace the previous ones was led by councillor Jean Edwards and the then Burslem Councillors and a joint campaign led to the securing of capital funds to build a swimming pool

Unfortunately the original plans to include a full size pool and splash/recreation pool were downgraded to direct funds to the other capital item ? the completion of the Civic Centre.

This meant that Dimensions was eventually built with a reduced sized pool, a lower specification then was originally envisaged, and of course the Civic Centre was completed at the expense of the Burslem facility.

Dimensions very quickly became a well loved local facility.

In the intervening years I have worked hard to encourage Stoke-on-Trent City Council to build on the success of Dimensions and extend the offer. This led to two separate extensions, and lottery money and Sport England played a big part in this.

As I recall, the lottery bid's case was linked to the basic use of the original facility and it was the intention to signpost those already using Dimensions on to other sporting pursuits.

It is against this background that the community has understandably come to value Dimensions and to feels let down by a sudden announcement of closure.

Concerns

1. Please can I have details of all papers, discussion documents and meetings relating to the closure announcement?
   
2. What consultation was carried out by the council?
   
3. What is the justification of closing Dimensions pool?
   
4. What account has been taken of the effect on other uses at Dimensions if the splash pool is closed?
5. What assessment has the council made of Dimensions pool?
6. What account has been taken of local performance targets?
7. What are the financial considerations?
8. What are the revenue and future capital costs of the pool?
9. What other funding streams could be used to support the pool including transfer from other council votes and outside funding e.g. PCT and external organisations? and
10. What assessment has been made of the value to the social cohesion?
11. What discussions have there been with the medical officer of health regarding health benefits of Dimensions and the splash pool?
    

I should point out that I was contacted informally by constituents who had heard rumours about possible changes to Dimensions, and accordingly I met with the director of community services to discuss this, among other items.

While I was given to understand that the council was reviewing how to get best value from Dimensions, I was led to understand that there was no threat to the facility.

In view of this, I am very concerned that Stoke-on-Trent City Council did not share its subsequent proposals with me.

Constituents are very aggrieved about the announcement of closure and the manner in which it was made with apparently no attempts to consult with local people, including local councillors.

Decisions about well loved local facilities are very sensitive, and especially when facilities are used well, help the council meet its targets in one of the most deprived areas of the country, and one where health needs are significant, and one where the local plan is seeking to promote family accommodation, and where Stoke-on-Trent's ranking in the key indices of deprivation in health is 12 worst, income 36 worst, and where 15 of the wards are the most deprived in England and Wales.

Please can I have the information I have asked for and an urgent meeting to see what support I can give to keeping the Dimensions Pool open and securing necessary funds for any future refurbishment that may be needed.

Yours sincerely,

Joan Walley, MP
Stoke-on-Trent North

Dear Paul,

Re: Dimensions

I am writing to you as Chairman of Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust and prior to your meeting today to ask if you will urgently consider the health costs and wider implications of Stoke-on-Trent City Council's decision to close Dimensions splash pool presumably with effect from April 2008.

I am aware of the government's initiatives to require a partnership approach to health, recreation and social cohesion, and to introduce performance management and local area agreements to deliver on across the board services.

I visited Dimensions Splash pool on Saturday 16/3/08 and am aware that 480 swimming lessons for youngsters will need to be reorganised, that special needs pupils benefit, that those with heart, knee and hip complaints all benefit from the gentle water exercise.

I am concerned that a decision has been made with apparently no understanding of the cost to health.

I am therefore writing to ask if your medical officer of health can audit the wider health implications of this decision and set out for me whether, and if so how, in line with current treasury thinking, Stoke-on-Trent PCT could support individuals in wellness and fitness programmes at Dimensions, thereby making good the £60,000 saving identified in the council budget.

I should point out that it is my understanding that the proceeds from the splash pool contribute to the overheads of the gym and football pitches. So it is only a matter of time before they will be closed on the grounds of none viability.

I am therefore asking if you will meet with me and Stoke-on-Trent City Council to see what we can do together to meet health needs through sport in the Burslem area.

Yours sincerely,

Joan Walley, MP

Stoke-on-Trent North

This report of 11th March 2008 to the Audit Committee of the City Council lists Dimensions at Number Nine in The Council's 'Top 40 Assets' as of 18th February 2008.

Yet they want to destroy it.

The current situation with regard to Dimensions is deadlocked. It may be that, for political reasons, the Council cannot back down. The Community is equally adamant that the Splash Pool will not close.

This state of affairs is fast alienating the Community even further from the Council.

As we see it, there are few alternatives for the future of Dimensions Splash Pool:

• it closes, and is filled in - not acceptable to the Community.
• it is sold to the private sector - not acceptable to the Community due to likely admission price hikes.
• it continues in its existing form - not acceptable to the Council.

This seems to be a total impasse.

We are suggesting, however, that there is a solution.


Dimensions Leisure Centre, as a whole, could become a Social Enterprise.

Social enterprises are profit-making businesses set up to tackle a social or environmental need.

Many commercial businesses would consider themselves to have social objectives, but social enterprises are distinctive because their social or environmental purpose is central to what they do. Rather than maximising shareholder value their main aim is to generate profit to further their social and environmental goals.

Three common characteristics of social enterprises as defined by Social Enterprise London are:

1. Enterprise orientation: They are directly involved in producing goods or providing services to a market. They seek to be viable trading organisations, with an operating surplus.
2. Social Aims: They have explicit social aims such as job creation, training or the provision of local services. They have ethical values including a commitment to local capacity building, and they are accountable to their members and the wider community for their social environmental and economic impact.
3. Social ownership: They are autonomous organisations with governance and ownership structures based on participation by stakeholder groups (users or clients, local community groups etc.) or by trustees. Profits are distributed as profit sharing to stakeholders or used for the benefit of the community.

The UK has also developed a new legal form called the Community Interest Company (CIC). CICs are a new type of limited company designed specifically for those wishing to operate for the benefit of the community rather than for the benefit of the owners of the company. This means that a CIC cannot be formed or used solely for the personal gain of a particular person, or group of people.

CICs can be limited by shares, or by guarantee, and will have a statutory “Asset Lock” to prevent the assets and profits being distributed, except as permitted by legislation. This ensures the assets and profits are retained within the CIC for community purposes, or transferred to another asset-locked organisation, such as another CIC or charity.

The Community and the Council can work together to set up a Social Enterprise or a CIC. It cannot be done overnight, and so the Council would have to keep the pool going for a while longer. The Community would have to be patient, but would end up with a viable Community asset.

If the Community and Council are both willing to avoid a protracted conflict with no overall winners, this suggestion could be the basis of a creative, workable compromise.




The Stoke-on-Trent City Council, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to save money by closing a well-used community facility. The splash pool at Dimensions is not considered to be a full blown swimming pool, so is deemed to be expendable. What has not been taken into account is the fact that Stoke-on-Trent is full of canals and  water-filled marl holes. Children, for their own safety, have to learn to swim somewhere. A shallow, warm pool is ideal.