City council and Northumbria work in partnership for city pool swimmers

Northumbria University and the City Council have worked together to offer discount swimming at the Sport Central Swimming Pool following the closure of the City Pool.

Sport Central is fully open to the public and enjoyed by many so to ensure those disadvantaged by the closure of the City Pool are not adversely affected, the university has come to an arrangement with Newcastle City Council in which pool users will be able to swim for just £2 at the new Sport Central Swimming Pool until the end of September.

Sport Central sits within metres of the City Pool on Northumberland Road and is part of the recently completed £30m Sport Central development. The facility is a centre for world class research as well as providing state-of-the-art sports facilities including a 25 metre pool which boasts a moveable floor for adjusting the depth and a state-of-the-art timing system for gala events.

The university stepped in after the council agreed proposals to close the City Pool as part of a £100m programme of budget cuts over the next three years. The council has now put the building, which also includes the historic Turkish Baths, up for sale.

It will maintain the City Pool until it is sold - or a long term lease agreement is signed - and the City of Newcastle Amateur Swimming Club will continue to use the facilities for the next four months. The Newcastle Sports Injury Clinic will continue to operate within the pool.

Northumbria University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business and Engagement), Lucy Winskell, said, “Sport Central is a great facility for the university, but we also want to make sure it’s a resource that’s available for people from across the city. With the closure of the City Pool, we want to ensure local residents can continue to make use of our high quality leisure facilities.”

Councillor David Stockdale, deputy cabinet member for public health, culture, leisure and libraries said: “The pool closure was a sad day for the city, but we must save £100m over the next three years as a result of unfair Government cuts and we simply do not have the money to maintain the pool or carry out the backlog of expensive repairs.

“It’s great that the council and Northumbria University have worked together and by agreeing to honour the city council’s Active Newcastle scheme, Northumbria University is doing a great service to the city.”