What will the council do about Leith Waterworld now?

When Leith Waterworld was closed in January the campaign group Splashback set out to try and pull a community bid together to buy the pool from the council and run it themselves. The council say in a report produced for tomorrow’s council meeting that they cannot afford to accept their bid, as it would cost them almost £1m in subsidy and reopening costs over the next three years, which they simply cannot afford.

But, according to The Edinburgh Evening News, some high profile support in the shape of Sir Tom Farmer and Irvine Welsh may help the campaigners in their quest to reopen the pool, although that support seems to be well-intentioned words rather than hard cash at this time.

The papers released for tomorrow’s council meeting showed last week that the council was set to reject the community bid, one of two on the table, and both of which came from Splashback. Now, partly on the basis of the Edinburgh businessman’s letter to the council, some believe that the administration could be persuaded to look at another bid from the group. But the campaigners are clear that tomorrow’s meeting will actually concentrate on the bidding process itself. The property will not be remarketed until Spring 2013 on the basis of advice from the council’s property consultants. The campaigners have secured a deputation to tomorrow’s meeting to put forward their thoughts.

The council confirmed to The Edinburgh Reporter that it has cost them £35,659.12 to keep the building closed from 8 January  2012 until the end of July 2012, although they also claim that there have been revenue reductions to the council coffers of £310,266 in closing the building. They also say that the savings have been reallocated to the monies spent, or required, on the Royal Commonwealth Pool, and if there is no capital receipt in the form of a sale of the pool, then they will have to look for savings elsewhere in the Culture and Sport budget.

Splashback have been in existence since the end of 2011, set up first of all to stall the sale, but they have since the closure worked hard to produce a bid which they hoped would be of interest to the council. Gailey continued:-” We pushed for a further motion in February, that the sale be put on hold to see if a community bid would come forward.  At that stage we floated the idea of Springboard, a new group that would bring together interested parties including Splashback and the Council – Unfortunately it soon became apparent that if a community bid was to be submitted, then we would have to do all the work – which we did.”

They were given extra time in February this year to do the arithmetic and put their best case forward, and have since then gathered over 900 fans on Facebook. Their bid was put to the council on 7 August. At the time of making the bid, campaigner Johnny Gailey said:- “Today we’re taking our community bid to the Council, handing over the torch to the Council. It is only fitting that, during this exciting Olympic time, the future of such a well-loved and accessible pool is secured for the people of Leith, all of Edinburgh and beyond. We are providing a proposal, a springboard, for a new beginning for Waterworld, and we hope the Council will take a leap of faith and dive in.”

Fellow campaigner Ida Maspero said: “We believe our business case and supporting documents demonstrate that best value – in the broadest sense, not simply financial – will be achieved by giving the community a chance to re-open this unique and much-loved leisure pool.”

No other bids were made to the council. Splashback offered either to buy the leasehold interest or to sub let the building for 25 years at an annual rent of £1 per annum. They also asked for the right to break off the lease at any time on giving six months’ notice to the council, which could in one light be taken as an indication of their commercial uncertainty.

Their offer was also dependent on a survey being carried out and some other conditions including the provision that they would require the council to continue with some funding which would average about £250,000 per annum over three years, but the subsidy would actually decrease over that period of time. The potential pool tenants said they proposed to raise the entrance fee, and providing improved facilities like a soft play area and a better cafe.

The council have said that it would cost £155,000 to reopen the pool in any case, no matter who runs it, as well as over £2m which is required for refurbishment of the facility over the next ten years.

Local Green councillor for Leith Chas Booth said:-

“Leith Waterworld is the first test of the Council’s co-operative ambitions. The Labour-SNP Administration has said that it wants to transform the relationship between residents and the council, putting more power in the hands of local people. With no other bids coming forward for the pool, it’s essential the council works together with the community group to ensure the future of this fantastic facility.

“The community bid for Leith Waterworld does puts power in the hands of local people. So, for the Council, it is a test of words into action and an opportunity to maintain and enhance a unique asset which has been enjoyed by countless children and could continue for generations to come.

“The Council must show it can pass the co-operative test.”

So what now? Well we shall see tomorrow at the council meeting which will be webcast here on the council website.