IN RESPONSE to Fiona Evans on the subject of Yearsley Pool (Letters, September 16), the council has made it clear on several occasions, including when Yearsley Pool Action Group met the council leader and I earlier this month, that there are no plans to close the pool.

The current council administration values Yearsley Pool highly and the facility will be part of the contract with the leisure provider which runs the city’s leisure portfolio from next year.

But it is unrealistic not to consider how the £250,000 pool subsidy is going to be reduced as the council braces itself for millions more in cuts from central Government.

Labour is the only major party locally that is standing up for public services and challenging the Tory-Lib Dem Government’s cuts.

What the council is doing is being proactive with groups such as the Yearsley action group by sitting down and being honest about the financial climate, and discussing how we work together with communities to secure public services and facilities for the future.

It is only by having this kind of dialogue that facilities such as Yearsley stand the best chance of existing for many years to come.

Councillor Sonja Crisp, Labour Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, City of York Council.