“There is a commercial element to this” — new documents reveal GLL’s concerns over Penrith Swimming Club’s Learn to Swim programme as more than 2,500 people back the club
Newly released Freedom of Information documents have
revealed that GLL who operate Penrith Leisure Center under contract to the council told Westmorland and Furness Council that Penrith Swimming
Club’s Learn to Swim provision was “undermining” its efforts to grow its own
swimming lesson membership.
The correspondence also states that “there is a commercial
element to this”, adding a new dimension to the dispute over the future of the
145-year-old club’s programme at Penrith Leisure Centre.
Penrith Swimming Club has been campaigning since August
against proposals that would prevent it from continuing to provide its
established introductory swimming programme at the council-owned leisure
centre. GLL operates the centre on behalf of Westmorland and Furness Council.
The latest FOI disclosures follow months of uncertainty over
the future of the club’s Learn to Swim provision and come as more than 2,500
people have now signed a petition supporting the club.
The documents provide further detail on the discussions
between GLL and the council and the reasons given for seeking changes to the
way the club operates its Learn to Swim sessions.
In one piece of correspondence, GLL described the club’s
provision as something which:
“undermines our program and efforts to grow the swimming
lessons membership”.
The same correspondence stated:
“There is a commercial element to this.”
The documents also show that GLL’s initial position was
reached without, according to subsequent acknowledgements, a full understanding
of the club’s arrangements, scale or participants.
GLL has subsequently acknowledged that discussions should
have taken place with Penrith Swimming Club before proposed changes were
communicated.
Council Information Questioned By Swimming Club
Penrith Swimming Club says information supplied by GLL was
subsequently used by Westmorland and Furness Council in briefings and
communications without the council first approaching the club to verify the
position.
That information contributed to questions being raised
publicly about the club’s authorisation, its operating arrangements and its use
of the learner pool.
The council has since acknowledged that its communication
could have been clearer and apologised for confusion and misconceptions
surrounding the club’s activities.
It has also confirmed that there was “no suggestion of
impropriety” by Penrith Swimming Club or its volunteers and that the absence of
a formal agreement was neither intentional nor the fault of the club.
Luke Brown, spokesperson for Penrith Swimming Club, said:
“Our volunteers were put in the position of having to
publicly defend a 145-year-old community organisation against information which
had not first been checked with us.
“The Council has subsequently had to clarify the position
and confirm that our volunteers had done nothing improper.
“That should never have been allowed to happen.
“Before information capable of damaging the reputation of a
community organisation is circulated, surely the most basic step is to ask that
organisation whether the information is actually correct.”
A Teaching Pool The Community Helped Create
Penrith Swimming Club dates back to 1881 and has been part
of the town’s sporting life for 145 years.
Its relationship with Penrith’s swimming facilities
stretches back decades, including its role in campaigning for the Frenchfield
Teaching Pool in the 1990s.
The club and local community raised around £40,000 towards
the facility, which subsequently became an important part of the town’s
swimming provision.
PSC says it has continued to invest in swimming facilities
and currently spends around £40,000 each year on pool hire at Penrith Leisure
Centre.
For the club, the dispute is therefore not simply about
access to pool space.
It argues that its Learn to Swim programme provides the
entry point into the wider club, taking children from their first experiences
in the water into development and competitive swimming.
The club says removing that pathway could ultimately
threaten the future of the organisation itself.
Luke Brown said:
“GLL says our provision undermines its efforts to grow
swimming lesson membership. But who is really being undermined here?
“The people of Penrith raised £40,000 towards this teaching
pool. They did not do that so decades later a national operator could tell
their community swimming club it could no longer run its Learn to Swim
programme there.
“Learn to Swim brings the next generation into PSC. Remove
that pathway and, ultimately, Penrith Swimming Club could cease to exist.
“Once 145 years of community heritage is gone, it is gone.”
The club has consistently said it is not seeking to prevent
GLL from operating its own Learn to Swim programme.
Instead, it wants the two programmes to coexist, arguing
that they provide different routes into swimming and that families should
retain a choice of provision.
No Guarantee Given At Full Council
The latest development comes after Penrith Independent
councillor Mike Eyles directly asked Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet
Member for Planning and Active Wellbeing, Cllr Vicky Hughes, whether Penrith
Swimming Club would continue to be able to provide its Learn to Swim programme.
The question was:
“Will the portfolio holder please confirm that Penrith
Swimming Club will continue to be able to offer its Learn to Swim programme to
the residents of Eden and beyond?”
No guarantee was given.
Instead, the response referred to further engagement and
exploring future arrangements.
That leaves the club’s position unchanged.
PSC says it has not agreed to replace its existing Learn to
Swim provision with an alternative arrangement.
The club says the agreed next step is to establish whether
its existing programme and GLL’s programme can financially coexist before
discussions move towards replacing the club’s provision.
That is significant because Westmorland and Furness Council
has previously said that one of the options being considered is for GLL and
Penrith Swimming Club to operate separate beginner Learn to Swim programmes.
“We Have Not Agreed To Replace Ours”
Luke Brown said:
“A straightforward question was asked at Full Council and a
guarantee was not given.
“We have agreed to assess whether both programmes can
coexist. We have not agreed to replace ours.
“More than 2,500 people have now backed Penrith Swimming
Club.
“Children learning to swim with a community club are not
lost customers. They are the next generation of a Club which has served Penrith
since 1881.”
The dispute has developed considerably since the club was
initially told in August that its junior Learn to Swim sessions would no longer
be authorised at the leisure centre.
The proposed deadline was subsequently moved to January 2027
while discussions continued. GLL later apologised to the club and the fixed
cessation date was removed, although the underlying proposal remained
unresolved.
The council has maintained that no final decision has been
made and that discussions involving GLL, Penrith Swimming Club and Swim England
are continuing.
For PSC, the latest FOI disclosures add another issue to
those discussions, with the club now questioning the extent to which commercial
considerations have influenced the original proposal.
The immediate issue is whether the two Learn to Swim
programmes can operate alongside each other at Penrith Leisure Centre and
whether there is sufficient demand and pool capacity to support both.
PSC says it wants that assessment to take place before any
decision is made to replace its existing programme.
With more than 2,500 people having signed the petition in
support of the club, the future of its Learn to Swim provision is now
attracting significant public interest.
For the 145-year-old club, the outcome could determine
whether it can continue providing the pathway through which generations of
Penrith children have gone on to become members of the swimming club.
No final decision on the future of the programme has yet
been announced.
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