The Independent solicits donations to fund on-the-ground journalism and keeps reporting accessible without paywalls. GMB union research supports a study showing 500 public swimming pools closed since 2010, with nearly half closing in the last five years. Council-owned facilities across London, the West Midlands, South West, Wales, South East, Yorkshire, Scotland, the North East, and the Midlands have been particularly affected. GMB national officer Kevin Brandstatter links many closures to austerity, warning that losing access to pools denies children basic swimming skills and childhood recreation and increases the risk of drowning. Repairing the damage will take years.
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The GMB union stated its research supports a study revealing that 500 public swimming pools have shut their doors since 2010. Nearly half of these closures have occurred in just the last five years. Council-owned facilities have been particularly affected, with closures reported across London, the West Midlands, South West, Wales, South East, Yorkshire, Scotland, the North East, and the Midlands.
Kevin Brandstatter, GMB national officer, said: The Conservatives' grim legacy of austerity has left brutal scars right across society. Local authorities being forced to close so many swimming pools is a particularly terrifying example. Learning to swim is a basic life skill, splashing in a pool is a fundamental childhood joy two things being potentially now denied to thousands of youngsters. Taken to its extreme, it leaves young people at risk of drowning.
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