Richmond Swimming Pool: Repair cost increases by £450,000
Repairs to Richmond Swimming Pool are set to cost an extra £450,000, it has emerged.
North Yorkshire Council originally budgeted £1.2m for the work to the venue’s ceiling.
But a report prepared for the council’s executive committee reveals that more money will be needed to complete the repairs.
The extra funding will be provided from the council’s property maintenance budget.
The pool was forced to close in April last year following a partial ceiling collapse.
The repair work was delayed by the discovery of asbestos in the building, which has had to be removed.
Richmond councillor, Stuart Parsons, welcomed the commitment of extra funding to the project.
But he added: “What is worrying for the future of North Yorkshire is that it seems they don’t seem to be able to do their calculations correctly. God knows what we’re going to be spending money on elsewhere.”
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for leisure, Simon Myers, said earlier this year that the council was committed to protecting the long-term future of its pools by carrying out vital repairs.
He added: “These repairs must be carried out correctly and to a high standard, so that our customers can continue to enjoy the swimming pools and the facility remains a valued part of the town’s fabric.
“We are all looking forward to it reopening when it is safe to do so.”
The work remains on track to be completed by the autumn, the council says.