High costs highlighted as complaints about cleanliness rise

A report by the GMB union has highlighted Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre and Chiswick New Pool as some of the most expensive municipally owned swimming pools in the country. The report comes at a time when the Fountain Leisure Centre was already facing a barrage of criticism for a perceived lack of cleanliness and poor maintenance.

At £3.20 for an adult swim, in London only pools in Southwark Borough are more expensive and the charge is the sixth highest in the country. The survey was carried out by the independent Labour Research Department for the London Region of the GMB Union, collecting data from a CIPFA survey of local authorities.

The publication of the report comes at a time when the centre was already under the spotlight due to rising complaints about the upkeep of the centre. Janie Burford MBE, a regular user of the centre recently wrote an open letter to the Brentford, Chiswick and Isleworth Times which outlined a series of complaints about the maintenance of the facilities at the centre.

Opened in 1987, the Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre is Hounslow Borough's largest sports centre offering a wide mix of sports and recreational opportunities. The centre has two pools, a leisure pool, which includes a 40m slide and a 25m fitness pool.

Leisure facilities in Hounslow have been run by Community Initiative Partnerships, a non-profit group wholly owned by Hounslow Council, since May 1998. CIP are planning to refurbish the health suite area of the centre and are waiting for a quote from contractors to repair the internal stairs. The centre was also subject to an intensive cleaning programme when closed over the Christmas holidays.

January 3, 2003