The initiative is a key part of plans to leave a lasting legacy from London 2012, giving people up and down the country more opportunities to get active.
In total, 292 councils (82 per cent) are to offer free swimming to the over 60s while 211 (60 per cent) will open their pools for free to both the over 60s and those aged 16 and under.
The local authorities that have opted in to offer the scheme to both age groups have also received a share of a £10 million capital fund to spend on modernising or improving pool provision in time for the start of the two-year scheme later this year.
Those local authorities that will offer free swimming to both age groups also stand to benefit from a further £25 million capital challenge fund in both 2009/10 and 2010/11 to spend on improving pool provision.
But Conservative Crawley Borough Councillors refused the scheme, quoting a survey taken in 2004 that only appromimately 40% of people in
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham MP said:
"Getting people more active is vital to the health of the nation and to tackling obesity. With 2012 approaching, now is the time for big ideas to help people make a change in their lifestyle. Swimming is fun and has universal appeal, and yet charges can deter people.”
Conservative Councillors orginally complained that they didn’t have enough time to complete the application as the reason they didn’t take up the offer. Crawley MP Laura Moffatt then spoke to Andy Burnham and he made an exception enabling Crawley Borough Council to apply late for the scheme, which they still didn’t do.
Crawley Borough Councillors still currently refuse to join the scheme, despite the obvious health benefits for two generations of residents in the town as well as creating much needed activity opportunities for under 16’s in Crawley.
Conservative Councillors were at the launch of the Crawley Health and Wellbeing initiative a couple of weeks ago, happy to support this partnership to encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles and address health inequalities, yet also apparently happy for Crawley pensioners to be amongst the mere 18% nationally who have to pay to swim.
More than twenty million people aged 16 and under and over 60 will be able to swim for free from April as Culture Secretary Andy Burnham announced that 82 per cent of local authorities in England have signed up to take part in a £140 million Government scheme.
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A lot of residents we have spoken to didn't know about the Tories not opting into the free swimming deal from the Government. The people I spoke to last week think that thought we SHOULD have free swimming in the town, and glad to hear that Crawley Labour is doing something about it.
Chris Oxlade, Three Bridges
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