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£1 Telford & Wrekin swimming charge being introduced for over-60s
Friday 27th January 2012, 5:00PM GMT.
Benefit claimants and the over-60s will have to pay to swim in Telford & Wrekin from April – although it will still be free for under 16s.
Councillors agreed to change concessionary prices last night and a flat fee of £1 will now be charged.
The changes will come into effect on April 1.
Councillor Angela McClements said: “The proposals are fair and those most in need will still benefit, while making a contribution to the council savings.”
She added that the council’s concessionary prices were still generous when compared to other councils.
Councillor Arnold England said: “The scrutiny committee were very fair when they looked at it and the effect it might have.”
Councillor Bill Tomlinson, leader of the LibDem group, added: “I am particularly pleased that swimming is still free for children under 16.”
Telford & Wrekin cabinet also agreed recommendations to remove automatic concessionary status for new over-60s, except those on pensions credit, to standardise concessionary health and fitness membership at £21.50 per month and to remove concessions on golf for all groups.
The scrutiny committee had also reviewed the policy on charging for visits to the Arthog outdoor activities centre in Wales, but decided not to alter it.
Parents either pay the full cost or nothing, depending on whether they meet the remission criteria, and a member of the public had claimed this was unfair.
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Why not make it £2.30p the same price as it costs for pensioners to swim in Ludlow Teme Leisure.
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Because this is Telford NOT Ludlow.
People out of Telford should mind their own business
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Because Teme Ludlow has a 25m, 6 lane swimming pool with 2 fun/baby pools, a Diving Pit with movable floor, 2m Spring Board and 5m High Board. Also a Flume
None in Telford have these
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Very sensible idea.
A token amount, but a fair one given that everyone has had to economise in these difficult times.
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Any person over retirement and on a basic state pension should get free swimming,tv licence,and many other things too.
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The over 60′s have more disposable income than the majority of us! They should be paying more not just £1.
Lets make it fair for everyone not just because your 60 you get a discount. No other business would do this so why a council?
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My mum’s nearly 61 and still has to work 12 hours shifts in a factory to meet her bills so I beg to differ. And thanks to the rising pension age she still hasn’t got her pension yet and is still paying NI so I think she is already paying her way and she won’t be able to retire when she does get her pension because it won’t pay enough to give her any decent standard of living so she will still be slogging her guts out, with osteoarthritis doing a job most 16 years old walk out of in the space of a few hours.
Over 60′s have the most disposable income? I have evidence this is not the case!
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Discraceful!
All the unemployed and sick are going to be obese, adding further burden to the state.
Don’t these people think anything through?
And what happens if you have just brought your Flex-card for £5 expecting 12 months free swimming? Are the council oblidged to honour their contract? Will they refund the £5 for those who can’t use the card as the £1 is too much for them?
So many questions but as usual no answers from T&W Muppets.
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Steady on! You make a big assumption there – that the people who would most benefit from the exercise are getting it because its free at the moment. I’d guess that most who want to go and do go will continue to go at £1 a time. Many of those at risk of obesity etc. won’t be going now even though its free.
Making something free does not suddenly make everyone do it (take a look at free stop smoking classes for a start – quite a few people on low incomes are still smoking, aren’t there?)
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Amused by Lucy’s comment that just because they have to pay for swimming, they are going to ‘suddenly become obese’
There are numerous factors associated with obesity, exercise being just one of them, and a walk is as beneficial as well as being free.
I do agree that a proportionate amount of the flex card fee should be refunded if it now cannot be used.
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This from a council is proposing to give free broadband to parts of Telford – you couldn’t make it up
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Oh yes, I’d forgot about that!
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I feel that £1 is a fair and reasonable amount to charge – After all pensioners can get a free bus service to get there and could be classed as a social outing. When I retire I would be happy to pay the £1 – Still cheap for a few hours socialising I think.
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A few hours socialising???
No you swim up and down for a while – don’t get in the way standing there nattering!
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I was assured in the pre budget Labour published rubbish that this was not at any cost to be on the Labour Party agenda.
Next Council Tax.
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im pleased with this. old people have been untouchable for politians for years now and have accumulated vast wealth in the boom years, the youth of today has been robbed with record unemployment and tuition fees now blocking the escape routes.
most old folk can afford this and this is fairer to the majority of non old, working people who after all only pay for the entire centre after all…
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I have no idea where lee gets the idea that old people have managed to tuck away these vast fortunes he spouts about. No doubt there will be a few putting him straight on that,me for one. Rubbish lee.
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