Heavily redacted internal council emails released under Freedom of Information appear to contradict the public position given by Westmorland and Furness Council over the future of Penrith Swimming Club’s Learn to Swim programme.
The documents show that, while the council was publicly
stating that no decision had been made and that the programme remained under
review, a senior council officer had already written to GLL supporting its
proposal to bring the club’s Learn to Swim activity at Penrith Leisure Centre
to an end.
Penrith.Town first reported in August that the future of the
club’s beginner swimming programme had become uncertain after GLL, which
operates the council-owned Penrith Leisure Centre, proposed that the club stop
delivering Learn to Swim sessions at the facility.
At the time, Westmorland and Furness Council told
Penrith.Town that the programme was “currently under review” as part of a wider
standardisation process across GLL’s leisure portfolio, that discussions with
the club were ongoing and that “no decisions have been made”.
However, documents now released show that on 6 August a
senior council officer wrote that they believed GLL’s proposal represented a
“balanced and proportionate approach”.
The officer stated that the focus should be on maintaining
GLL as the primary Learn to Swim provider at the leisure centre while
continuing to support Penrith Swimming Club as a pathway partner beyond the
Learn to Swim stages.
The same correspondence also states that the officer
supported formalising future arrangements through a Community Use Agreement or
similar partnership framework.
The documents show that GLL had told the council that its
team had spent between 10 and 12 weeks monitoring pool usage.
GLL said that monitoring had established that the club was
operating a Learn to Swim programme using the learner pool, with additional
lifeguarding costs being incurred by the centre.
The council briefing circulated to councillors on 7 August
also described GLL’s proposal as being for Penrith Swimming Club to stop
delivering its Learn to Swim programme within the leisure centre.
It stated that GLL intended to continue working with the
club on its wider swimming pathway and to formalise future partnership
arrangements.
The same briefing set out the reasoning behind the proposal,
including GLL’s existing Learn to Swim programme, the absence of a formal
agreement for the club’s Learn to Swim provision and the additional operational
and lifeguarding costs identified through the monitoring.
The documents show that council officers were aware of the
monitoring and the proposed ending of the club’s Learn to Swim provision before
the council publicly stated that the programme remained under review.
The distinction is significant because the council’s public
position at the time was that no decision had been made.
Penrith Swimming Club has consistently disputed aspects of
the case put forward for ending its Learn to Swim programme.
Westmorland and Furness Council has previously said that the
review concerns the beginner Learn to Swim programme and not the club’s talent
progression or competitive swimming activities. The council has also said that
the club remains a valued partner and that discussions have been taking place
over possible future arrangements.
The FOI documents have also revealed concerns raised by
councillors and local residents surrounding Penrith Leisure Centre – the
condition and cleanliness of the facility itself.
In November 2025, a local resident contacted Westmorland and
Furness Council and councillors with concerns about cleanliness at the leisure
centre.
The correspondence described green and black discolouration on the poolside and raised concerns about missing tiles around the learner pool wall, loose poolside tiles and tiles inside the pool requiring attention.
The resident also raised concerns about repair material used
on cracked tiles deteriorating and described the pool hall as appearing to have
been neglected.
The resident specifically distinguished between the centre’s
staff and the company operating the facility, saying that the concerns were not
directed at the staff working at the centre.
Councillor Patricia Bell subsequently replied: “I agree that
cleanliness is an issue and is a battle we have been fighting for a little
while.”
The correspondence was also sent to GLL, with Bell saying
that cleanliness had improved for a time but that she believed it was “going
backwards”.
GLL has now put the set end date for Penrith Swimming Club’s
Learn to Swim provision on hold while further negotiations continue with the
club and the council.
The club is continuing its campaign and its online petition
is close to reaching 2,500 signatures in support of the club continuing to
provide Learn to Swim sessions at Penrith Leisure Centre.
You can support the club and its Learn to Swim provision by signing the petition online: https://www.change.org/p/save-our-swimming-club-save-penrith-swimming-club-s-learn-to-swim-provision
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