Bid to prevent swim fee hike

Bid to prevent swim fee hike

13 May 2015

THE SDLP head of council has made a last ditch attempt to prevent a significant hike in fees for parents seeking private swimming tuition at the Down Leisure Centre.

Councillor Colin McGrath is calling on Newry, Mourne and Down Council to review its policy of increasing council charges in the Down area to bring them into line with the higher Newry rates.

He says it could make private swimming lessons unaffordable.

Newry Mourne and Down Council has already made the controversial decision to abandon private group swimming lessons at Down Leisure Centre in favour of council run group lessons and a final decision on the future of private individual lessons is looming.

In March hundreds of parents reacted angrily to the news that private group lessons for children over four will be banned from Down Leisure Centre, while individual lessons will be subject to a significant price rise.

The recommendation includes the introduction of a new £4.85 tuition fee for children availing of private lessons in addition to the normal charges and extra fees for tutors.

However, councillor McGrath has called for a month’s reprieve to investigate the equality and financial implications for residents living in the Down area.

Councillor McGrath was supported by unionists when his proposal was taken to a vote but Sinn Fein voted against, wanting to see Newry and Down brought into alignment.

“As part of the merger of the two councils it was always recognised that prices charged to the public were different and needed aligned,” he said.

“The decision taken by the Statutory Transition Committee that the costs should always be raised to the higher level seems preposterous. The fact that Sinn Fein councillor Stephen Burns stated [at last Tuesday’s meeting] that this was done to ‘make life easier for the officers’ beggars belief.

“It has also transpired that the majority of leisure services costs in Newry and Mourne were higher than those in Down and as a result all Down’s costs have increased. This piece of information was certainly not known by the Statutory Transition Committee when it took its decision and as such I feel the decision was flawed and should be reviewed.

“This matter has impacted those who access swimming classes most but also will impact families using the Summer Schemes which will see a 23 per cent increase. This type of price hike is unacceptable.

“We must make services available to people on an equitable basis and we should charge on an equitable basis too, but likewise we have a moral obligation to phase in cost increases and be careful not to price some activities out of reach of those that need them most.”

Councillor Stephen Burns denied his priority was to make life easier for officers and claimed councillor McGrath served on a council committee which agreed the new pricing structure.