Town Mayor Andi Rivett will hold a public meeting at the leisure centre this Saturday to gather even greater public support to save our swimming pool.
Rye residents have responded in no uncertain terms following Freedom Leisure’s announcement last Thursday, that they plan to close the town swimming pool for the winter.
Social media has been flooded with demands to keep the pool open, many arguing it serves a much wider area than just Rye while also being a tremendous asset for those suffering from mental and physical difficulties as much as a recreational facility.
Helping to drum up support for the campaign this Saturday will be Ryebellion Drummers, who will open and close the meeting which starts at 10am.
In a statement to Rye News this week Mayor Rivett said: “It is a friendly gathering of the people of Rye and district to show Rother District Council (RDC) and their operators, Freedom Leisure (FL), how valuable this resource is to not only the people of Rye, but those in neighbouring areas, our school children, and of course visitors to the town.
“Whilst I am sure RDC and FL are aware that there is great sadness at its potential loss, I am not sure that they know the full extent of the impact this will have on our town. We have thus far heard how people who have suffered considerable mental and physical ill- health have benefited from swimming, how such exercise has reduced their medication, made them feel so much better and alive, and is an opportunity to meet others and enjoy socialising in what is otherwise a very lonely world for them. In a week where RDC published its health and wellbeing strategy that fully recognises how important exercise, socialising and getting out are to people, Rye gets this news from Bexhill!
“I think it has come as a massive surprise to everyone – no one here saw this coming. And it has happened so quickly. There has been no time for consultation and we haven’t had time to put forward potential solutions.
“We all know that, at the end of the day, this is about money, and we live in very difficult times where we are all having to make sacrifices and cutbacks. But has the potential cost to the health service been weighed into the factor? This is too great a sacrifice for those for whom it is a lifeline.
“It is also too great a sacrifice for the hundreds of school children who use the pool weekly. Learning to swim is rightly a compulsory subject. We do not want to see children’s lives put at risk if they try to swim in dirty rivers or out at sea unsupervised.
“It is also slipping further down the road of reducing services in our town that has lost all the banks, seen shops close, and now this – will we have one less visitor attraction for tourists to come to?
“RDC and FL have, thus far, not told us details about their budget deficit, what alternatives they have looked into, how more imaginative use of their budget could be applied, how more marketing could bring in a greater footfall, the use of alternative greener energy supplies, recruiting more volunteers to help, and all these sorts of things. Instead, we’ve just been slapped in the face with ‘It’s closing, tough’.
“There also appears to have been no thought given to the environmental impact – if they drain off the pool where is all that chlorinated water going to go – back gardens, school playing fields, the allotments which are homes to diverse wildlife? There is lip service that this may be a temporary closure but we all know for a fact, once a pool is closed down it is prohibitively expensive to bring it back into operation.
“I hope many people will give up an hour of their Saturday morning to show that we cannot lose this service – if RDC and FL listen to and engage with people they may find a solution, instead of using this blunt instrument that is a sacrifice too far for us all.”
Image Credits: Rye News Library .
I fully support this campaign to keep Rye swimming pool open, having used it for over 10 years for reasons of health. I have also benefited from the friendship and support I have found there amongst both fellow swimmers and staff. I am away at the moment otherwise I would join the gathering on Saturday.
I have used the swimming pool and appreciate its benefits for Rye people and others, including U3A members. We must ensure it is kept operating for our community even if a different approach is needed to enable it to continue. I am prior booked at another event in Bexhill, also important being a UN meeting, otherwise I would be attending. I wish all success to the move to keep it open as a vital and valuable public facility which we cannot do without.
Rother District Council have proposed a £15 million refurbishment of Bexhill Town Hall, and yet are unable to subsidise Rye Swimming Pool. This is the only facility in Rye and it’s surrounding areas, and is vital for the physical and mental well-being of everybody. Which is more value for money?
You are comparing apples and oranges, not like for like.
Rother Town Hall at Bexhill sits on an underutilised and valuable site, much more extensive than the Town Hall Buildings themselves. The late 19th / early 20th century Town Hall buildings are very wasteful of energy and provide poor working conditions for staff – cramped and virtually inaccessible for the less able-bodied. The scheme proposed would refurbish the heritage buildings, making them as energy-efficient as possible to help meet our CO2 emission targets, and provide decent office accommodation for staff plus other lettable space built with the intention of making the scheme commercially viable. It would also give a lift to an important central part of Bexhill helping meet regeneration objectives. In short it is a capital project, capable of breaking even or making a profit, whereas the Rye Pool problem is a revenue problem.
The design of the Town Hall site is not finalised , the planning committee having narrowly rejected the scheme on planning, not financial, grounds. Whether in current financial circumstances the project will be able to proceed if and when planning permission is granted is another matter.
Do we have any information on the energy use? What does it cost to heat now? How much gas and electricity is used? What is the tariff now? Who is the supplier? How much are Freedom Leisure hoping to “save”? We need as much info as possible.
Hugh Kermode’s comment is the only one that has the right questions that need answering to get a more accurate picture of the financial situation and then may be an alternative solution could be found to keep the Rye Swimming pool open for the various needs of the people using it .
But reality is every thing has to earn its keep and not rely on others bailing out.
In another comment someone suggested they could afford to pay more for their regular use of the pool…may be there could be away for those who wish to pay more voluntarily could by agreeing to pay a higher price so those who can not do so could still swim..
The Bexhill Town Hall thing is a bit of a red herring. It’s not an either/or. The proposal was to regenerate an obsolete Victorian building the council own, and to make it energy efficient. It was also to create civic spaces and small business sites to benefit the community. It was actually expected to pay for itself, ultimately, due to incomes generated and energy costs saved. It made total sense at the time, prior to the present financial malaise. I suspect it’s unlikely to happen any time soon, however, so I think we should pour all our energies into saving our pool.
Regrettably wont be in Rye tomorrow but fully support efforts to keep it open
Just had a restorative swim in our lovely clean pool and met two people who regularly come all the way from Bexhill, even though that has a pool, as this is cleaner and more disability friendly. There are many who do the same, and many like myself whose long term health conditions worsen when unable to swim. For many of us it is the only form of exercise we can do.
Councillor meir talks about a revenue problem, doesn’t the same apply to the del awarr pavilion, which the ratepayers of rother have been subsidising for years, surely cut the funding on this loss making venue,and let’s have a level playing field for all communities across Rother district.
I am a Rye resident and was proud to join today’s protest at the local swimming pool to keep it open.
My question is – Why have the photos on Rye News Facebook page been edited to cut out our local Cllr Gennette Stevens who was also there to add support? I could see that when the photo was taken Cllr Stevens was clearly in the shot as it was taken as our Town Mayor Andi Rivett had intended her to be as he had pulled her into the group making 4. I was standing nearby.
This is such an obvious intended action – So, my question is – Is the photographer KT Bruce Biased? I would have thought her job for Rye News is solely to reflect the truth of events, not to edit to her own truth as she has on this occasion.
I’d like KT Bruce to explain why she has so obviously chosen to omit one of Ryes Cllrs who was also there supporting this cause along with our MP, Rye Mayor and Labour Candidate.
Grace – that’s rather unkind to the lovely Kt Bruce – if you look at the photos she posted on the Save Rye Pool Facebook page, you can clearly see Genette Stevens in the photo.
The particular Rye News FB page article you mention was focused on the fact that both our MP and her Labour candidate rival attended (ie both sides of the political divide), so the two photos were centered on those 2 people. I’m sure the photos which appear in the next Rye News issue will include all featured attendees.
Why hasn’t Freedom Leisure considered a temporary surcharge to members? My wife and I pay £33 per month each for membership. We swim approximately 5 times per week which at £1.65 per swim is extremely cheap. We would be very happy to pay a temporary £1 Utility Bill surcharge for each swim session, which would result in an extra £20 per month each.
This surcharge could be reviewed after 6 months.
If RDC and FL had done a consultation period they would have had these types of ideas – there has been no innovation on this at all – it’s as if they haven’t even tried to keep it open.
I have been swimming in the rye sports centre for four years. I took part in the protest on Saturday morning. I really hope that it will not close. People need to learn to swim. This is our local pool for most people and we love it.
I fully support the suggestion of David Dunham, regarding a utility surcharge.