CAMPAIGNERS protesting against the planned closure of the ageing Arthur Hill swimming pool will today present a petition to Reading Borough Council.

Earlier this month, the council announced that it would be closing the 105-yeasr-old pool in December.

Eventually, once money has been raised from sale of the Kings Road-based pool, a new swimming complex would be built at Palmer Park, with an earmarked date of 2020.

The council has argued that it cannot sustain maintenance on Arthur Hill, which would need £700,000 to bring it up to scratch. Closing the pool in December would save around £120,000 a year.

But campaigners point to a 2006 consultation on the future of Palmer Park when the council pledged to open a new pool before closing Arthur Hill pool.

Now this will come to a head on Monday evening when the issue will be debated by Reading Borough Council's policy committee.

Regular pool user and Newtown resident Peter Burt, believes that the council is trying to rush through the decision, and he believes the pool should stay open until next Spring.

"There is no reason a decision needs to be made today," he insisted.

“A number of local community groups have written to the council setting 
out a range of alternatives to immediate closure, including the 
possibility of giving the local community a role in running the pool in 
future.

“The council's own assessment shows that closure of the pool would have 
a disproportionate negative impact on disadvantaged people and minority 
groups, and it would be quite indefensible for the council to vote to 
close the pool before having considered  all the options properly. 

"We want the decision on the pool's future to be put off for a month while 
all the alternatives are examined and discussed with us.  In the 
meantime, there is no reason why the pool should not stay open until at 
least the end of the current financial year in March 2017."

Mr Burt is among 1,300 people who have put their name to an online petition. They will be gathering outside the council office this evening (Monday) ahead of the committee meeting hoping councillors will defer a decision to shut the pool until further options have been considered.

“It's an indication of the strength of feeling locally that we have had 
a fantastic response to the call to save Arthur Hill Pool, with well 
over 1,300 people signing the petition in just one week and ideas and 
offers of help flooding in," added Mr Burt.

"We're deeply humbled by the response, and extremely grateful to everyone who has supported the campaign”.

To date, more than 1,300 people have put their name to an online petition to 
keep the pool open, and another 400 have signed a paper copy. 

According to Reading Borough ouncil's constitution, petitions to the 
Council which receive over 1,500 signatures will trigger a debate on the 
issue at a full meeting of the council.

The online petition to save Arthur Hill Pool can be found at
www.tinyurl.com/arthurhill and a Save Arthur Hill Facebook Group can be 
found at www.facebook.com/savearthurhill