Two Falkirk Labour councillors have been praised for the work they put in making sure swimming facilities across the area are safe.
Having forced the council’s SNP administration to halt plans to close High School pools a year ago, councillors Euan Stainbank and Jack Redmond got them to admit Labour was
The pair’s campaign started a year ago when plans, backed by the SNP, could have led to the closure of four High School swimming pools being closed.
As well as students at the schools, the pools were used for swimming session run by both Falkirk Council and companies providing swimming lessons.
Euan and Jack quickly realised the closure decision was premature and there were other ways of cutting the costs of running the pools.
They spoke to all involved with the pools, from headteachers to parents and young swimmers before coming up with their winning amendment.
Simple things like making sure pools were covered at night, keeping heat in, as well as attracting more users could meet cash targets.
Their alternatives proved successful, even seeing the SNP trying to claim credit for saving them by announcing last month when the plan came up for review, that they would by proposing the pools stay open.
However, once again the SNP had got it wrong as far as Labour was concerned. And once again a Labour amendment won the day, forcing an unhappy SNP to backtrack again.
They had proposed increasing charges for outside hire five fold, from £12.50 to £63 conceding during the debate that it be introduced over two years.
Euan, the Labour Group’s depute leader, proposed the successful amendment, which will mean the increase being phased in over three years instead of two.
There will be price increases: Learn to Swim lessons will go up from £23.35 per month to £24.75; public swimming sessions from £4.90 to £5.20 for adults and £2.80 to £3 for juniors; and from £103.50 to £160 per hour for private and commercial lets.
Labour Group leader Councillor Anne Hannah said: “This was the perfect example of councillors doing their jobs, investigating and consulting with users to come up with the best result
“If it had not been for their work we would have lost four valuable assets, and facing a huge bill for mothballing facilities that we might never have been able to bring back into use. We owe them a great deal.”