Councillors from Westbury Town Council have criticised Wiltshire Council’s ‘shocking’ response to a resident who had complained about the condition of Westbury Swimming Pool.
At a recent full council meeting, several Westbury town councillors discussed the letter, in which the resident described the pool as “bordering on deliberate neglect” and said it “doesn’t seem to have even the most basic of maintenance.”
The resident’s letter to Wiltshire Council also said, “My family have used this facility for 100+ years and I am sad to see its current state which I feel is bordering on deliberate neglect. We are constantly being shown the new facilities at Melksham and the new pool project at Trowbridge which are of course very much welcomed but Westbury doesn’t seem to have even the most basic of maintenance.
“Currently, there are very few working lockers and many of those that do work have broken wristbands, most of the paintwork is crumbling, and the ladies’ changing rooms and shower area look shoddy. For two weeks, the hoist has been unusable and watching less abled swimmers struggle to get in and out of the pool is frankly appalling.”
In their response, Wiltshire Council assured the resident that the site is operated within health and safety guidelines and said a survey has highlighted several areas of maintenance that need addressing. They acknowledged the broken disabled hoist, saying it “will be fixed as soon as possible,” but also noted that since it is an ageing building, “this can be restrictive when considering additionality and investment.”
In a Full Council meeting on 1st September, Cllr Julie Wright criticised Wiltshire Council’s response, saying, “It’s an absolutely shocking reply and they ought to be disgusted with it,” which Westbury Mayor Cllr Jane Russ agreed.
Cllr Matthew Dean said he had been in touch with Wiltshire Council’s leisure team about the issue. He added, “I’ve basically been told that there’s no money, apart from for emergency repairs, until a review of all of the council’s leisure assets is undertaken across Wiltshire.
“I didn’t feel that was acceptable. I feel that particularly the swimming pool and leisure centre need urgent investment, which isn’t emergency works, but actually to make the facilities acceptable.”
Wiltshire Council have recently completed an audit to understand the work needed to address some of the issues with the pool.
Cllr Mel Jacob, Cabinet Member for Communities, Engagement and Corporate Services, said, “We are sorry to hear that some people are unhappy with the facilities at Westbury Swimming Pool. We appreciate residents’ concerns and are currently undertaking work to understand the costs involved and consider a provisional programme of repair work.”
