Star comment: Mindful of diving into pool fight
In the big controversy over the Quarry swimming pool in Shrewsbury, a window of opportunity has opened for the campaigners battling to keep the pool in the town centre.
The bad news is that Shropshire Council has given the nod to proposals to shut the pool and build another at Shrewsbury Sports Village on the outskirts of the town, which is exactly what many residents do not want to see happen.
The good news is that the council says it would welcome plans from groups which would see the pool kept in the Quarry, and council leader Malcolm Pate says this effectively means a decision has been deferred for 12 months to allow those groups to work up their options.
While the campaigners have welcomed this, it does represent a significant change in the argument.
If the pool at the Quarry does eventually close, the impression will be able to be given that this outcome was as a result of the campaigners failing to save it. Having the ball land in your court does give options and opportunities, but also ensures that you have the responsibility not to miss your one shot.
The appearance of a fairy godmother or a sugar daddy to ensure the Quarry pool survives would now be timely.
But whoever or whatever accepts the role will have some serious thinking about the finances to take into consideration.
The current lie of the land means that Shropshire Council, and councils around the country, are trying to find ways to save money, or to transfer their costs on to others. We have seen how community groups and voluntary groups are being encouraged to run libraries, and so on.
Over in Oswestry, there is a question mark over what lies ahead for Oswestry Leisure Centre and the town library after the town council showed a lack of enthusiasm for taking them on.
Looking at things with an accountant's eye immediately puts many valuable and much-appreciated services in danger. Swimming pools and leisure centres are not intended to make millions for councils, or for anybody else for that matter, but to give ordinary people a chance to get fit, or keep fit, something incidentally we are all being encouraged to do to lighten the future burden on the NHS.
Saving costs may yet prove very expensive for society in the longer term.
