Liberal Democrat and other opposition councillors have joined together to call for action to safeguard the future of Yearsley Pool.
from left to right Cllr Ian Cuthbertson, Derek Wann, Martin Lewis Crosby, Cllr Carol Runciman, Chris Cullwick, Cllr Keith Orrell, Cllr Brain Watson (Independent Councillor) and Cllr Keith Aspden – at a recent event in Parliament Street collecting signatures for the petition to save Yearsley Pool.
In September Labour run City of York Council said it would cut the £250,000 annual subsidy given to Yearsley from 2016.
Lib Dem calls for the future of the pool to be safeguarded over the course of the next council term were defeated at October’s Full Council meeting.
Since then a petition against closure, set-up by the Yearsley Pool Action Group, has been signed by over 4,000.
Now, opposition councillors are joining together to call for action. The councillors have called for a scrutiny review to be set-up to explore ways to reduce the subsidy given to Yearsley but secure its long-term future beyond 2016.
Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Keith Aspden, who has submitted the scrutiny review request today, commented:
“There is widespread agreement that while the subsidy given to Yearsley should be reduced the pool should not be abandoned and left to its fate by the council after 2016. Yearsley is too special and too valued by local residents to let this happen.
“Our scrutiny review would get councillors, officers, the action group and all interested parties around the same table and talking about how to secure the future of the pool. This could be by exploring ways to increase revenue at the pool or cut overheads.
“The is what the Labour Cabinet should have done originally. Instead, they announced they were cutting the funding with little warning or consultation and seem to be unwilling to help protect the future of the historic pool.
“I hope our review will be agreed by councillors and work to secure the future of Yearsley Pool can begin in earnest.”