Free Swimming Initiative Shunned In Worthing

Free swimming for elderly people, as part of a longer term goal of free swimming for all by 2012, is a positive move that will bring real health benefits and increase the opportunity for elderly people to take part in local activities.

£50m is being made available for Councils to offer free swimming to those aged over sixty during 2009-2011, in addition to £60m for swimming pool modernisation projects.

Three hundred local authorities have chosen to offer free swimming to their residents aged sixty or over.

However Worthing Borough Council has decided to shun the initiative.

Chichester is taking advantage of the initiative and will be receiving £137,294 during 2009-2011. Brighton and Hove will be receiving £268,977 during the same period.

I was amazed to learn that Worthing Borough Council is shunning the Labour Government’s free swimming initiative for the elderly. Ten million pensioners across England will be benefiting from free swimming from 1st April, but not in Worthing. This illustrates another example of the Tories’ lack of commitment to pensioners in Worthing.

Only a few weeks ago the Council Leader, Cllr Mercer, was whinging about the concessionary bus fare scheme for pensioners. Now we find pensioners in Worthing will be losing out to free swimming whilst others in Chichester and Brighton will be benefiting from this initiative to keep our elderly healthy.

The Local Government Association supports these proposals to help improve the health of pensioners and get older people active and has said the Government’s extra contribution is a welcome addition. Many councils - around a quarter of the total - already provide free swimming, whether for over 60s, young people or for everyone in the local area. Councils are the biggest investor in sport though it is a shame this isn’t the case in Worthing.

A taste of Conservative Government

A shiver went up my spine yesterday afternoon when I came across a list of one hundred cuts the Conservatives would make in local government services. Some of the suggestions would take us back to Victorian Britain, such as the ludicrous idea of sending children in care to boarding school - visions of Oliver Twist came into my mind. A full list of the cuts can be found at the following link:

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2009/02/100-ways-to-cut.html

After reading the full list I was reminded of why I am standing as Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Worthing West at the next general election. I believe in fairness and opportunity for all. This list of cuts just reconfirms that a Conservative Government would take Britain backwards, not forwards. There is much at risk from a potential Prime Minister in David Cameron. The choice is firmly in the hands of the electorate. It is crucial that David Cameron is never given a chance to get the keys to 10 Downing Street.