Evening Press Leader

From next month York swimmers will have to splash out a great deal more to take to the waters.

Councillors have agreed to increase charges by up to 45 per cent. At a time when inflation is around two per cent, this rise is exorbitant.

Making matters so much worse is the context of the price hike, coming as it does so soon after City of York Council provoked widespread concern and anger over fears that the Barbican and Yearsley pools could close.

The strength of opposition to this move took the authority by surprise. Initially it was implied that people would be given just a week to respond to any decision on the pools. This week the council announced a major public consultation.

Unfortunately, that positive concession has been utterly undermined by the decision to hike pool admission charges. The council argues that this is necessary as part of an unavoidable programme of cutbacks. It says that the new prices are comparable to those charged by nearby authorities.

But these excuses will not wash. York council supposedly subsidises these pools as part of a commitment to improve the health of the city. If councillors wish to revise or abandon this policy, they should say so.

The council has been struggling to balance the books for years. Why choose this precise moment to increase prices? The public will suspect that the authority is deliberately trying to reduce the number of swims, in order to justify a decision to close one or both of the pools.

Coun Alan Jones insists there is "no relationship" between the price hike and the leisure review. That is not how it looks. It looks like the council is issuing an ultimatum to the pool protesters: "If you like swimming so much, prove it by paying more."

This will only reinforce the growing perception that City of York Council has an arrogant approach to those who oppose its policies.

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