Bingley Pool: Campaign to reopen swimming pool continues with plea
Campaigners fighting to reopen Bingley Pool are urging Bradford Council to cancel an order which could eventually lead to the potential sale of the building.
Bingley Pool shut during the Covid lockdown in 2020 and has remained closed.
Earlier this summer, Bradford Council said it would hold off on selling the pool for six months after it was previously listed as a disposable asset.
But the Friends of Bingley Pool – which has been campaigning to reopen the facility – has called for the disposal order to be cancelled altogether.
Jeremy Thackray, chair of the Friends of Bingley Pool, said: “We understand that the disposal status has been paused until Christmas, meaning that the pool cannot be sold before then.
“This gives us a little breathing space, but we will be pushing for swift action in the next few months to allow for that disposal status to be cancelled altogether.
“The threat is not over and we can’t be complacent.
“The council will set a new budget after Christmas, and asset selloffs will form a key part of this.
“We must ensure that Bingley Pool is not under consideration of selloff at this point.”
Mr Thackray said the Friends of Bingley Pool was using the current six-month pause to “progress our business plans” for the reopening of the facility.
He added: “We want to present Bradford Council with a project that says it’s not all on them to come up with the finance.
“We want to attract a diverse mix of funding from various different sources to take the pressure off Bradford Council.
“You’re only going to get confidence from investors if the disposal notice isn’t hanging over the building.”
Mr Thackray said there had been “a lot of recent developments” in the campaign to try and reopen Bingley Pool.
In July, Bradford Council’s Reform UK-led executive voted to scrap a project for a new leisure centre on Squire Lane in Girlington, which would have cost £32 million.
While campaigners said the project’s cancellation was “disappointing”, they hope some of that money could go towards reopening Bingley Pool in the future.
A motion was also passed at Bradford Council last month backing the case to secure the future of the site.
Conservative Councillor Geoff Winnard, who represents Bingley West on Bradford Council, said there was “cross-party political support” for the reopening of the pool.
He added: “A restored Bingley Pool, with a viable and sustainable business model for the future, could make an important contribution to both the regeneration of Bingley town centre and also provide much needed water space in the district.”
Bradford Council was approached for a comment.