Thursday, July 15, 2010
Swimming charges
Medway Council have announced that the free swimming programme, funded by the last Labour government, is to cease on July 31st. Just in nice time for the school summer holidays!
The new charge is going to be £4 per child per swim. How many families will be able to find the money to send their children as often as they used to? Maybe a few will, but the vast majority will not. Where will those children go who would otherwise be enjoying themselves at the pool? Who knows. Perhaps they'll all be in the library, or staying at home watching television or playing computer games. I don't suppose any of them will be wandering the streets getting into mischief, so there's nothing to worry about there.
One of the strange comments reported by the local paper was that of "a young lifeguard", who declined to be named, who felt that the introduction of the charge would be a good thing, as it would mean more income to the Council to spend on improvements to the facilities. Sad, isn't it? The free-swim programme was funded by Government. The Council got from the government the money they would otherwise have expected to get over the counter from customers. That money has stopped. If the customers, now having to fork out £4 per child per visit, decide they can't afford it, the Council's income will reduce. What chance, then, of improvements, or even of our "young lifeguard" having a job this time next year?
The new charge is going to be £4 per child per swim. How many families will be able to find the money to send their children as often as they used to? Maybe a few will, but the vast majority will not. Where will those children go who would otherwise be enjoying themselves at the pool? Who knows. Perhaps they'll all be in the library, or staying at home watching television or playing computer games. I don't suppose any of them will be wandering the streets getting into mischief, so there's nothing to worry about there.
One of the strange comments reported by the local paper was that of "a young lifeguard", who declined to be named, who felt that the introduction of the charge would be a good thing, as it would mean more income to the Council to spend on improvements to the facilities. Sad, isn't it? The free-swim programme was funded by Government. The Council got from the government the money they would otherwise have expected to get over the counter from customers. That money has stopped. If the customers, now having to fork out £4 per child per visit, decide they can't afford it, the Council's income will reduce. What chance, then, of improvements, or even of our "young lifeguard" having a job this time next year?
