Council dives into deep end to help swimming pool

Scottish Borders Council has agreed to dive in the deep end to help a Borders swimming pool to the tune of £127,000.

Three sports, leisure and culture Trusts supported by the local authority, all of whom operate swimming pools, are facing significant financial pressures due to rising energy costs and reduced income.

At a meeting of full council on Thursday, December 15, members agreed to take £127k from a recovery fund to enable Berwickshire Education and Recreation Sports Trust to carry out a series of efficiency works at Duns Swimming Pool that will reduce energy costs by £62,000 per annum and reduce its carbon footprint by 130 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing with Live Borders – which operates six swimming pools in Eyemouth, Galashiels, Hawick, Kelso, Peebles and Selkirk – and Jedburgh Sport and Leisure Trust, which runs the Laidlaw Memorial Pool, to ascertain how the council can assist both with similar programmes of work.

Mid-Berwickshire councillor Mark Rowley was wholly supportive of the move.

He said: “What is to be commended here is that Duns trust recognised that there was a problem coming in terms of energy use and energy bills and very pro-actively got involved with consultants and looked at a huge range of options to come up with a sustainable solution.

“The fact that they will be able to halve their carbon emissions, move on to a system that is largely based on renewable energy and manage to save themselves costs and revenue of £62,000 a year ongoing is incredibly commendable and I think this shows a great pilot that we are probably going to need to follow in lots of other buildings, both in our own estate and the Live Borders estate, right across the Borders.

“I realise this is a significant investment but it is a significant investment with an incredibly rapid payback and an incredible sweep of benefits both financially and environmentally.”

Mr Rowley also reminded members that Duns Swimming Pool had produced a number of champion swimmers and that it doesn’t just serve the town of Duns but also a “huge hinterland of towns and villages right across Berwickshire”.