Council urged to reveal plans for Bingley Pool
The pool had been in line for a portion of the £14m Levelling Up cash awarded to the council last March (2024), under the previous Conservative government.
But in August last year, the new Labour government announced it was reassessing all applications to the Towns Fund which had reached a certain stage, and it has since confirmed Bingley's bid was rejected.
Bradford Council said it was "considering the next steps for the site" and will keep the Friends of Bingley Pool (FoBP) informed, but campaigners are demanding more clarity.
Jeremy Thackray has been co-chair of the FoBP for two years.
He said: "We really just want the council to come clean - [to] go down the list of options and say this is why it can, or cannot, do them.
"Then at least we all known where we stand.
"The danger, as we see it, is the assumption that the pool is past its best, and it would be best selling it.
" We know it's been on the council's selling list before, but we don't think all the other options have been ticked off just yet.
"We don't just want to leave it to an assumption that it will be sold."
Mr Thackray said the group, which was originally set up with the aim of taking over and running the pool, had had to change the emphasis of its campaign.
He said campaigners were looking at examples of community-owned facilities such as Moseley Road Baths in Birmingham and Bramley Baths in nearby Leeds.
He said: "Over at Bramley Baths, they did a community share offer which raised hundreds of thousands of pounds.
"They've also, using that funding, unlocked Heritage Lottery funding as well.
"Those two sources are bringing in over a million pounds."
Mr Thackray said understanding the council's plans for Bingley pool would allow campaigners to react accordingly.
He said: "We'll be ready to move on from this when we've explored every opportunity there is to keep it in public hands.
"Until that point, we'll keep on fighting."
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: "We know residents and the Friends of Bingley Pool group campaigned very hard to save the pool and still care deeply about the issue.
"We're considering the next steps for the site and will keep the Friends' group informed.
"We're continuing to make the case to government for investment into Bingley as a priority more generally."
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Swimming pool awarded £600,000 regeneration boost
Campaigners call to keep pool in public hands
Campaigners pledge to fight for pool's future
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Long-standing firm to make major investment in Bradford as factory plan is approved
A BRADFORD food company has been given the green light to build a new factory that will create hundreds of new jobs and lead to millions of pounds of local investment. Tiffin Sandwiches will build a new 50,000 square foot factory next to its existing base on Commondale Way, near the M606, after the company's ambitious new plan was approved by Bradford Council. And the company has also announced that it has purchased another Bradford sandwich company – Love Bites. Tiffin is one of the country's largest independent, food-to-go manufacturers, with more than 20 years' experience in large-scale food manufacturing and distribution. An artist's impression of the planned new factory (Image: Sunderland Peacock Architects) Last summer, the company applied for permission to build a new factory and office space next to its current headquarters. It would be an investment of up to £10m, and could create around 400 jobs. The plans are for a site currently used as a lorry park, and will include environmentally friendly measures such as solar panels and renewable energy. Approving the development, planning officers said: 'The proposal is considered to represent a sustainable form of development which would provide economic development and employment opportunities within the district, whilst not resulting in a substantial adverse impact on the local environment.' A spokesman for Tiffin told the Telegraph & Argus: 'This expansion reflects our commitment to bolstering the local economy, with significant investments in infrastructure, advanced machinery, and sustainable practices. 'The new factory is set to create and secure numerous local jobs, providing opportunities for professional growth and development while fostering relationships with local suppliers. "Our investment not only strengthens our operations but also boosts the Bradford economy, empowering the community as a whole. 'In a strategic move to enhance our product offerings, we are also thrilled to share the acquisition of Love Bites, a beloved local sandwich manufacturer. 'We extend our heartfelt thanks to Richard and Gill Smith for their dedication in building Love Bites over the past 35 years. "Their passion and commitment have created a strong foundation, and we are pleased to announce that Richard will continue to play a key role within the business, utilising his extensive industry experience to guide the future of Love Bites. 'As we embark on this exciting journey, we are committed to building a sustainable future while ensuring the growth and prosperity of our local community in Bradford. "We look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders as we move forward with our plans.'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Specsavers store is raising money to help the vital work of Sue Ryder
A SPECSAVERS in the Bradford district is raising money through activities including sponsored cycling, leg waxing, and hair dyeing. The Bingley store is supporting Sue Ryder through its efforts, with optometry director Raj Gill set to dye his hair blue on August 30. Mr Gill said: "We're incredibly proud of our fundraising achievements over the years – especially raising over £1,000 for our local neonatal ward last year, in collaboration with our sister stores in Keighley and Shipley. "We're determined to keep up the momentum by taking part in several challenges this summer, including dyeing my hair blue for Sue. "We're hoping to encourage as many people as possible to donate what they can, no matter how big or small." Retail director Dom Doran will take part in a sponsored leg wax, and the team has vowed to collectively cycle 100km. Donation buckets and QR codes are available in store throughout August.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Retrospective plan for take away at popular shopping plaza refused
A RETROSPECTIVE application to keep a take away kiosk at a busy shopping plaza in Bradford has been refused. The kiosk was built at the entrance to Bradford Plaza in Thornbury in January 2024 – despite there being no permission in place for a take away business. Now a retrospective application for the business, known as Deli Plaza, has been refused by Bradford Council, with planners saying it could cause anti-social behaviour and add to childhood obesity. Bradford Plaza has become one of the city's busiest shopping areas in recent years, and is made up of multiple small shops and food businesses. The take away kiosk is located at the Rushton Avenue entrance to the site – opposite the entrance to Morrisons. The retrospective application for the business had been submitted by Z+F Properties, and said it employed two people. There was one objector to the plans, who said: 'Unauthorised shops in Bradford Plaza are causing issues for local residents.' Now the application has been refused by planners, who pointed out that the business falls foul of policies that prevents new take aways from opening within 400 metres of a school, park or youth facility. Planning officers said: 'The application site is close to secondary schools or youth centred facilities (Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College) and recreational grounds or park boundaries (Thornbury Roundabout). 'It is also close to a day nursery and creche (Spinning Top Day Nursery and Out of School Club) with the premises and facilities within 400 metres of the site. 'The proposed hot food takeaway use is therefore considered to be contrary to the Council's adopted Hot Food Takeaway Supplementary Planning Document, which seeks to support the healthy eating agenda and aims to minimise the negative impacts of takeaways on childhood health by controlling the proximity of new takeaways to primary and secondary schools and youth centred facilities.' Planners also pointed out that the proposed opening hours of the business would be until midnight. They added: 'These are late operating hours which exceeds the opening hours of Bradford Plaza which is advertised (on Google) to open 11:30am-7pm Monday- Sundays and closed on Fridays. 'These late-night operating hours are deemed to be anti-social and could result in anti- social behaviour and statutory nuisance to nearby residential properties to the detriment of their amenity with the nature of such a use and associated activities and late night comings and goings of customers likely to result in noise and disturbance issues which will detrimentally harm the amenity of adjacent residential properties/occupants.'
