Hull North MP Diana Johnson this evening (Wednesday 4 December) presented a petition to the House of Commons about the threatened Ennerdale Swimming Pool in Hull North.
The petition, so far containing 2,171 names, reads:
To the House of Commons. The Petition of residents of Kingston upon Hull,
Declares that the petitioners note that Ennerdale Leisure Centre's swimming pool is the only swimming facility serving the entire Hull area that is recognised by the Amateur Swimming Association as being of competition standard; further notes that Hull City Council is considering proposals to close Ennerdale's swimming pool, due to the unfair level of local authority funding cuts that Hull is receiving from the Coalition Government, when compared to far less severe cuts being made to councils in wealthier areas of the country.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to request Hull councillors to work with service users to find ways of saving Ennerdale swimming pool and provide Hull with a fairer deal on funding that will enable Ennerdale swimming pool to remain open, alongside other valued sports and leisure facilities in Hull.
The proposal to close Ennerdale swimming pool was part of Hull City Council's response to savage funding cuts from the Coalition Government that have been focused most severely on Hull and other deprived areas.
In Parliament, Hull's three Labour MPs have voted against these cuts to Hull City Council, but they have been forced through with Lib Dem support. Further cuts to Hull City Council funding are likely to be announced by the Coalition Government this month.
Hull councillors recently found temporary extra funding through the NHS to keep Ennerdale Swimming Pool open until March 2015, but Diana Johnson MP is looking to secure a long term future for Ennerdale.
Speaking after presenting the petition to the House of Commons, Hull North MP Diana Johnson said: "Over 2,100 signatures are on this petition backing the retention of Ennerdale swimming pool, names collected by pool users and local people across Hull.
"Ennerdale is Hull's only recognised competition standard swimming pool. As such it serves the entire city of Hull in a way that no other local pool does. It's the last Hull pool that should be closed because of Coalition cuts. Hull won the City of Culture 2017 bid on the basis of the range of leisure, sports and arts facilities that we have now. It would be a backward step if Ennerdale then closed in 2015.
"Temporary health funding secured a year to find a long term future for Ennerdale. Hull North residents signing this petition in Kingswood, Orchard Park and Bransholme want to keep this pool in their area as more important than talk about a new facility miles away in the city centre that might happen at some date in the future, if funding can be found.
"Hull City Council has supported Ennerdale swimming pool for 30 years. The only things to change are the current energy prices crisis and the unfair level of Coalition funding cuts to Hull that were opposed by Labour MPs and could only have been forced through because of Lib Dem backing.
"That's why I set up the Fair Deal for Hull campaign against the grossly unfair scale of spending cuts in council and other public services being imposed on Hull by the Coalition. Backing Ennerdale is part of that campaign."