Free swimming for over 50s in Telford to be scrapped

People will no longer be able to use pools run by Telford & Wrekin Council for free from January – just seven months after the initiative was launched. Instead they will be asked to pay £4.75 a time, with discounts in place for Telford Loyalty Card holders.

The move is expected to be rubberstamped by the authority's cabinet next week, although free swimming for under 16s will continue.

More than 3,000 over 50s have taken advantage of the free swimming offer in the borough this year alone. It represents a 50 per cent increase in the number of over 50s using the pools at Wellington Leisure Centre, Oakengates Leisure Centre, Newport Swimming Pool and Abraham Darby Leisure Centre.

Council chiefs have blamed further in-year cuts this summer to councils' public health budgets announced by the Government. In Telford the budget has been cut by almost £775,000. It comes after the council was told it must make at least £33 million of cuts over the next three years.

Councillor Richard Overton, the council's cabinet member for public health, said: "Offering free swimming to over 50s was an important part of our initiatives to help keep our residents fit, active and healthy and we hope needing fewer health services. Sadly our Government funding continues to be cut.

"On top of £80 million we've already taken out of services since 2010, we must make another £33 million of cuts over the next three years. The additional and unbudgeted in-year public health cut on top of this sadly forces us to withdraw free swimming for over 50s to help make up this shortfall.

"At a time when the NHS locally is struggling to make ends meet, the Government chooses to target public health which can have such a positive effect on reducing demand for NHS services and treatment. I hope that many of the people who have made the most of our free swimming for over 50s will continue to use the value offered by Telford Loyalty Card or by aspirations gym membership scheme, which includes free swimming."

From January, residents over 50 with a Telford Loyalty Card (TLC) will be charged £3.65.

Residents over 50 in receipt of a range of benefits may be entitled to a Concessionary Telford Loyalty Card that would allow them to swim for £1 a time. The cabinet will discuss the proposals on November 12.