Leading councillors on the new Cumberland council have scrapped popular and fully-funded plans for a swimming pool in Maryport.
The former Conservative-led Allerdale Borough Council secured £5m from Government alongside further funding from their own capital reserves to build a new pool in Maryport.
However, the Executive of the new council - which took over in April following local government reform - has decided to shelve plans, cutting over £5m investment in the town - amid claims that the operational costs have spiralled to unaffordable levels.
Challenging the claims, Mark Jenkinson MP accused the Labour-led council of kicking the people of Maryport in the teeth, and “levelling down” their community.
He said: “Whilst the budget for the pool had increased slightly, Allerdale Borough Council found the additional funding. It was approved to include that higher capital cost.
“The former chief executive of the Allerdale Council is the same chief executive now responsible for the new Cumberland Council. The Section 151 officer for Allerdale Borough Council is the same Section 151 Officer in post on the new Cumberland Council.
“The only difference is that there has been a change in the political leadership. This decision makes a nonsense of the new authority’s boast that the health and wellbeing of the people of Cumberland are at the heart of everything they do.
“This is the second swimming pool that Labour have ripped from the heart of Maryport, having previously taken the decision to close the pool at Netherhall School.
“Going door to door in the town, it was clear that there has been a woeful lack of engagement with the community and with stakeholders by Cumberland – and this decision is massive kick in the teeth to the people of Maryport who showed overwhelming support for the Wave Pool.
It is also an insult to the staff of Allerdale council who worked so hard to secure this funding.
“All we have seen so far from this new council is higher taxation - in the form of a seven percent council tax hike for the people of Allerdale - and spending cuts.
“Conservative-led Allerdale Borough Council worked extremely hard to level up Maryport through their successful £11.5m bid to the Future High Street Funds.
“Work under Allerdale has resulted in a improved high street in Maryport, and the cancellation of this project by Labour has resulted in another community asset being scrapped.”
A recent petition launched by Mark Jenkinson showed that this project has overwhelming community support.
The vast majority of those who signed it were from wards directly surrounding the proposed pool.
Mike Johnson, the former leader of Allerdale Borough Council and the Conservative group leader on the new Cumberland Council, said: “Staff at the former council worked incredibly hard to secure Government funding and bring down the costs of the pool. This project was fully-funded and shovel-ready – and it is beyond disappointing to see it torpedoed like this. The justification for this decision is, in my view, entirely inadequate.
