Give Manningham Pool one last chance!

The council claims that the pool is under-used by the public and that closing it will save £119,000.

'This is a sad, short-sighted decision which saves the council only a small amount of money', said Dr Ian Dungavell, Director of the Victorian Society. 'Closure is not the answer and Bradford City Council needs to take a longer-term view of this much-loved local landmark.'

The Council is taking the same approach with Rhodesway Pool as with Manningham and yet they are very different. Unlike Rhodesway, Manningham Pool is unique and nationally important.

'Manningham Pool is the most remarkable building of its type in the country, and has been praised by English Heritage for its intactness. Once it closes it will be lost forever.'

The Council has spent little money on the pool over the last ten years but the good news is that a report commissioned by the Victorian Society reveals that Manningham Pool is in better condition than they thought.

The charity asked an expert on swimming pools and pool maintenance to visit Manningham and carry out an inspection of the historic pool, its pumps and filtration systems. The expert, Allen Wilson of Studies in Work, found that Manningham Pool should continue to give reasonable service for another decade, with normal expenditure.

'Of course we would like to see the pool fully restored but until the financial situation improves we would urge the council to do the minimum necessary to keep it open. It is not just any old pool.'