I AM astonished at the remarks made by some Labour councillors about the state of the Water World pool at a recent council meeting.

Cllr Simpson-Laing implied the pool was dirty. Really? If so, why then has the contract to operate this new swimming facility been awarded to Greenwich Leisure, which has been responsible for Water World? And more to the point, why has the council permitted the pool to operate under these conditions?

Having been involved in the running of two of York’s swimming pools (Edmund Wilson and Yearsley) from 1992 to 2005, it is not impossible to maintain a clean and safe pool environment with limited funds, as was the case at both Edmund Wilson and Yearsley.

Dedication and good housekeeping is the key. Can Cllr Simpson-Laing explain why the council wishes Greenwich Leisure to operate not only the new Water World, but York’s other two pools?

The public has a right to know what measures will be put in place to ensure that all three pools do not in time fall into disrepair and become dirty.

R Van Den Heever, Askham Lane, Acomb, York.