Pool Poll

Six electors, including five town councillors, have called for a public meeting to be held on March 6, to discuss the extent to which the town and district councils should commit themselves financially to the opening and operation of Arundel's open air pool.

The Arundel and Downland Community Leisure Trust, set up to re-open the pool which closed in 1999, welcomed the prospect of a parish poll.

Trust chairman Ruth Kerslake said: "We believe a poll will give the town council the authority and confidence to push this project forward.

"We hope that after the poll, the trust can move forward quickly with its refurbishment plans."

Town councillors Joe Hayes, Ann Harriott, Bill Redman, Wendy Eve and Victoria Holland, as well as one private resident, called for the meeting.

And although trust director and town councillor David Wood agreed the poll was a positive step, he wondered why the meeting needed to be called in the first place.

"I am somewhat surprised that some of my fellow town councillors seem to be so out of touch with the feelings of the people of Arundel, that they need a town poll to ascertain the level of support.

"I have never come across a project for which there is so much local support. However, if a poll will convince the council once and for all, I suppose it can only be worthwhile," he said.

Mr Redman explained: "Of course there is a general hope that it will be possible to retain the swimming pool, but one would have to say, not necessarily at any cost '“ it is easy enough to sit in a room and spend other people's money. I think this meeting is a way forward.

"One can have feelings about what people may be thinking, that's part of the council's job. But eventually, we like to be confident that we are doing what other people want."

The questions to be put to public vote will be agreed at the meeting and if at least 10 electors call for the ballot, it will be held on April 10.

Arundel Town Council and Arun District Council have committed to providing 212,000 through grant assistance for the refurbishment of the pool tanks and the trust wants to raise an additional 1.75 million to completely refurbish the site.

Its plans include replacing the existing, ageing buildings with a community sports hall, health and fitness suite and a wet and dry change area.

The need for financial support is even more crucial now, as the trust's funding application to Sport England to pay for a sports hll on the pool site has been turned down.

Swimming pool trustee and grants advisor Darrell Gale said: "Our efforts to build a community sports hall have suffered a setback with the failure of our bid to Sport England for a major grant. We are now, with the assistance of Richard Fishlock at Arun District Council, actively investigating all other avenues of grant support.

Mr Fishlock, Arun's external funding officer, blamed declining lottery sales and said a reorganisation of the way in which grants were made had led to a dramatic reduction in grants from National Lottery bodies such as Sport England.

The public meeting will be held at Arundel Town Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday, March 6.