Campaigners continuing fight against decision to close Kenilworth's outdoor pool

Campaigners are not giving up in their fight to save Kenilworth's outdoor pool from closure after councillors voted to do so last week.
Restore Kenilworth Lido campaigners outside the entrance to Abbey Fields' swimming pool. From left: Clive Peacock, Joanna Perkins, Cllr Richard Dickson, Dorothy Watkins, George Jones and Jane Green.Restore Kenilworth Lido campaigners outside the entrance to Abbey Fields' swimming pool. From left: Clive Peacock, Joanna Perkins, Cllr Richard Dickson, Dorothy Watkins, George Jones and Jane Green.
Restore Kenilworth Lido campaigners outside the entrance to Abbey Fields' swimming pool. From left: Clive Peacock, Joanna Perkins, Cllr Richard Dickson, Dorothy Watkins, George Jones and Jane Green.

Warwick District Council's executive voted to replace Kenilworth's outdoor pool with an indoor training pool as part of improvements to leisure facilities in Kenilworth at a meeting on Wednesday January 9.

But at a meeting on Saturday January 12 in the Kenilworth Centre, campaigners from 'Restore Kenilworth Lido', who had hoped the council would replace the outdoor pool with a 25m lido, discussed their next steps.

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Around 50 people, including some district and town councillors, turned up.

Clive Peacock, of Restore Kenilworth Lido, was delighted with the turnout, and said he made it clear the councillors who attended were very welcome.

He said: "We only put 12 chairs out, but then around 50 people turned up.

"I think the word has got through to councillors that they should have another look at this. We're just not going to go away."

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The meeting involved splitting attendees into groups who then discussed their ideas for taking the campaign forward.

A 'skills audit' was also held so that campaigners with particular talents in things like IT and social media could be used to enhance the campaign in the near future.

One councillor who attended, Cllr Pat Cain (Con, St John's), who is both a district and a town councillor, said she went to the meeting with 'an open mind'. She said she will now approach Warwick District Council to clarify the facts surrounding the consultation process.

She added: "I went to the meeting to listen to what people had to say. I want to reassure myself that everything's been done properly.

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"I want to make sure that I personally am doing the right thing."

Kenilworth Town Council is also set to formally discuss the decision at its next meeting on Thursday January 17.

Town councillor Kate Dickson (Lib Dem, Abbey), will put forward a motion at the meeting asking it to write to the district council expressing its concerns about the executive's decision and to give a recommendation to defer the pool's closure.

And Restore Kenilworth Lido will be holding a further meeting at the Tree House Bookshop in The Square on Monday January 21, starting at 7.30pm. All are welcome to attend.