Councillors investigating public complaints about Spalding swimming pool have concluded that the water temperature is fine but the facilities are not kept clean enough.
The task group, which was formed following a sustained wave of criticism in 2015, disagreed with users who claim the water, particularly in the main pool, is too cool.
A report to South Holland District Council’s cabinet meeting next Tuesday (Nov 8) says: “Whilst a number of complaints reported within local media cited the temperature of the swimming pool water being ‘too cold’, research by the task group has concluded that temperatures are compliant for competitive swimming, diving, fitness swimming and training pools.
“It is clear that moving to higher temperatures than the code of practice recommends would cause a number of problems including competitive swimmers finding them too uncomfortable and an increase in micro-organisms.”
However, some users remain disgruntled. A photo of a pool with floating ice blocks posted on social media last week with the comment “Went swimming in Spalding pool yesterday. To say it was cold is an understatement” received a lot of support.
The task group did back up complaints about cleanliness and said fixtures and fittings – covering toilet facilities, hand washing and disabled access – require “vast improvement”.
It also says that the blue overshoes policy, designed to maintain cleanliness, is not working and a new “more effective” policy needs to be quickly introduced. The group found there was no encouragement to use the overshoes and no promotion of their benefit.
Among a series of recommendations, the task group says 1Life, which is contracted to run Castle Sports Complex for the council, should employ a full-time cleaner at the pool.
“The current cleansing routines at the swimming pool are based on a reactive model which is not fit for purpose and therefore needs to be changed to a more proactive regime,” the group found.
It also said “considerable improvements” were need-ed to the feedback and complaints procedure. In some cases, complaints were taking up to six months to be addressed.
The task group was chaired by Spalding St John’s member and Spalding Disabled Swimming Club chairman Graham Dark and also comprised Angela Newton (Spalding Monkshouse), Tracey Carter (Holbeach), Jim Astill (Crowland and Deeping St Nicholas) and Jane King (Donington, Quadring and Gosberton).
The complex as a whole was said to be providing “an extensive range of leisure activities” but all the improvements are to be made at no extra cost to the council.
1Life is contracted until 2018 and given that the report stated that contract requirements were not being followed, the company is sure to see it as a warning shot.
