Opposition forces council to change tack

Opposition forces council to change tack

3 June 2015

LOCAL politicians are to meet again to thrash out the controversial issue of clamping down on private swimming lessons at the Down Leisure Centre in the face of mounting public opposition.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council wants to ban private group lessons for children over four while individual lessons at the local authority-run pool will be subject to a significant hike in fees.

Councillors decided on Monday night that in the wake of growing public anger, they will have one final meeting before agreeing the way forward. In the meantime, private swimming lessons will continue as normal with no increase in charges.

While no date has been agreed for the forthcoming council meeting, politicians want representatives of parents and instructors opposed to the council proposal to address them. The meeting will also focus on how the private sector could be accommodated in council-owned swimming pools.

A number of parents opposed to the council plan staged a demonstration in the foyer of the council’s Downshire Civic Centre base on Monday night as politicians met to discuss controversial changes to private swimming lessons. Parents argue some of the private lessons are for special needs children and those who suffer from a disability and that the proposed changes suggested by the new super council should be abandoned. 

The issue was debated for almost one hour with one parent in the public gallery asked to leave after interjecting during the discussion. 

Sinn Fein councillors have been supporting plans to increase tuition fees for children availing of private one-to-one lessons, but have agreed a special meeting is needed to debate the issues.

Councillor Willie Clarke said he believed the council’s desire to keep swimming lessons ‘in-house’ is the correct position to maximise the amount of income this could generate. He also supported the council desire to provide as many swimming classes as possible to meet demand.

“The issue we are discussing is an emotive one as children are involved. It has been debated many times and I am aware of the concerns of children with special needs losing one-to-one tuition. 

“We need to go back and look at this issue and make sure we do our best for the district’s ratepayers,” he added.

Councillor Colin McGrath, the leader of the council’s SDLP members, said he welcomed Sinn Fein’s view that disabled children should be protected from increases in private swimming lessons, but claimed if the proposal by Republicans to increase fees been implemented a number of weeks ago, “these very same children would have to pay more for their lessons.”

He added: “I have heard remarks from Sinn Fein that there is a lot of confusion about the private swimming lessons issue and my party is pleased the decision to increase charges is going to be reviewed. 

“No one is saying there should be freeloaders and that no one should not pay anything. What we are saying is that increases should not be introduced overnight. If you (a private tutor) are charging £8.10 for a lesson, and the council hits with you a £4.70 charge, it is silly to think that amount of money will not be passed on to the children.”

Councillor McGrath’s party colleague, Laura Devlin, also welcomed the decision to have the charging issue put under the microscope at a full council meeting.

Councillor Devlin said the introduction of new charges should have been a straightforward process, but instead led to “great confusion” among parents, swimming teachers and councillors and caused panic among children.

Independent councillor Cadogan Enright suggested council management and staff are currently effectively competing with established swimming lesson suppliers, arguing the small local businesses provide a better service and offer the public a real choice.

“By removing their competition, council management and staff get a monopoly. They cannot be neutral in any proposal to remove private group lessons or by abrogating to themselves the setting of the prices for private lessons,” he added.

DUP councillor Billy Walker said if changes are introduced to the current swimming lessons model in Downpatrick “children with disabilities will be the losers,” while UKIP’s Henry Reilly criticised suggestions that increasing swimming pool fees will help mitigate rates increases. 

He said swimming instructors have been teaching children for many years “without incident and are providing a first class service across the district.”

Alliance councillor Patrick Brown said he hopes the “charging experience” is something the council learns from for the future, with Independent councillor Davy Hyland warning the new council could end up a “laughing stock” if it cannot resolve the issue.

At the conclusion of Monday night’s debate, local authority authority chief executive, Liam Hannaway, suggested the issue of privatising local authority swimming pools was an issue councillors may also wish to consider when they meet later this month.