Many rumours are circulating about the reasons for closing the Splash Pool. We will not print these rumours for fear of libel, however credible they seem to us. We will, however, print rumours that directly affect the community, and that require answers from the Council.


1st May 2008: We have been reliably (we think) informed that the Council is actively trying to sell Dimensions to Port Vale F.C.

There are any number of reasons to oppose this move. The most important of which is that Dimensions is a Council-owned facility - it is run for the people by a body that is supposed to represent the people. Dimensions is not a facility that should be run by a private company.



Three questions for the Council:

• If this is true, is it not a cheaper option to refurbish the pool?
• Who will pay for decommissioning?
• Will other services have to be cut to decommission this pool?

If true, the Community truly thanks you, whoever you may be. But, as reported in The Sentinel on 6th March, the City Council has said receiving money from members of the public to keep the facility open is not an option it will consider.

The City Council obviously has not taken heed of Participation of citizens in local public life, Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers, Recommendation Rec(2001)19 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the participation of citizens in local public life, (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 6 December 2001 at the 776th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies).

This document states in Appendix 1:

Basic principles of a local democratic participation policy

6. Avoid overly rigid solutions and allow for experimentation, giving priority to empowerment rather than to laying down rules;

This has been around for six years!

Do the words Brick wall, Head and Bang spring to mind?

Dimensions petition form available here

Please download, get it signed, and return it to:
SoDS
Live & Learn Land
187-189 Hamil Road
Burslem
ST6 1AP