Visitor numbers take a plunge at Tinside

VISITOR numbers at Plymouth's Tinside Lido are on course to hit a record low this summer – but the city's leader has said the pool is 'here to stay'.

The washout summer has meant visitor numbers so far have been much lower than in previous years, with just 5,081 people taking a dip between the pool opening on May 24 and the end of July.

The pool still has just over two weeks to go until it closes for the year on September 7.

But even with a dramatic turnaround in the weather, visitor numbers could fall well short of last year's disappointing visitor total of 13,559, making it the worst visitor total since the £3.4 million Art Deco pool opened in 2003.

The city's Labour group says the pool is a 'huge drain on resources', but city council leader Vivien Pengelly defended the lido, saying it was something people should 'treasure'.

Visitor numbers reached more than 24,000 in 2006 and 30,000 in 2005. Original estimates when the lido first opened in 2003 were for 30,000 swimmers per year.

And the fall in visitor numbers means the amount the taxpayer puts into the pool – the subsidy – may rise sharply this year.

The council estimates the pool's net running costs – the amount the council has to find after ticket income – will be £136,370 this year.

If current visitor numbers continue at the rate so far this summer, estimated ticket income from around 7,600 visitors will be about £21,000 when it closes.

That would take the cost of a dip at Tinside to £20.78 – with £17.94 being footed by the taxpayer. The final figure, however, will not be known until after the pool closes for the season.

Last year's poor summer meant the council ran up costs of £173,666, leading to a subsidy of about £12.80 per swim. The subsidy in 2003 was about £8, with runnning costs an estimated £250,000.

The subsidy does not include captial costs, such as the £550,000 disabled lift which is due to be installed this winter.

Mrs Pengelly told The Herald the lido was worth the money spent on it.

She said: "Even though we have had a bad summer and people have not been able to use it, it is still a fantastic asset for Plymouth.

"It's something we should treasure because not many cities have an asset like it.

"It's a beautiful example of Art Deco. It's really worth keeping it as it is, even though it costs something to keep up. If you have got an asset then you have to maintain it. It's well worth spending money to maintain it.

"It's here to stay, as long as I am leader."

But Cllr Peter Smith, shadow Cabinet member for Healthy Communities and Leisure, called Tinside 'a huge drain on council resources'.

He said Labour had always known a large subsidy would be needed to keep the revamped pool open, once the Tories had decided to renovate it.

Therefore, he said the lido poses a tricky problem for whoever is in power.

While Cllr Smith doesn't think the pool is financially sustainable he also concedes it is a tourist attraction and important for the foreshore.

"I know there would be a public outcry if the council decided to close it – but it's one hell of a subsidy, a lot of money," he said.

"If we were in control we would have to look at it sensibly to see what could be done.

A spokesperson for Plymouth City Council said: "If there were a sudden change in the weather, even if just for a few days, these figures could change significantly. A warm bank holiday weekend could bring in hundreds of swimmers and thousands of pounds."

She said that running costs for this year may turn out to be lower than the estimate, and that running costs can vary considerably year on year depending on work that needs to be carried out.

"It's not rocket science to figure out that the weather will affect the trading position of the pool," Ian Bowyer, Cabinet Member for Budget and Asset Management, said.

Tinside's visitor figures could only be judged at the end of the season, he said.

"Obviously the weather has had an impact, but what the extent of that is we simply do not know.

"We are monitoring it but we are pretty powerless to do anything about the weather."

He stressed that staffing levels, such as the use of lifeguards, were adjusted according to demand, in a bid to keep costs as low as possible.

"Staff levels are flexible to meet demand. We manage resources."

Mr Bowyer said he would look at making the pool operation more flexible so that the season can be extended if the weather permits.

"We would like to be more flexible but it takes time to turn a big organisation like Plymouth City Council around – a bit like a supertanker."

Cabinet member Peter Brookshaw said that climate change meant the council had to look again at the season.

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