Proposed by Councillor Darren Dodd

Seconded by Councillor Denise Roberts

(1)  Council condemns the decision of the National Con/Dem alliance to withdraw free swimming for children and pensioners.

(2)  Council further notes with dismay that Wirral’s Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition has only guaranteed free swimming until September, despite the fact that free swimming both for children and for the elderly was agreed and paid for from within the Council’s own budget before any government subsidies were introduced and that this Labour initiative was a trail blazer for other local authorities and for the government.

(3)  Council agrees that any move to axe free swimming would be a false economy and work in direct opposition to the Corporate Priority of increasing Health and Well Being for all, and act against the agreed drive to reduce childhood obesity, and to keep elderly people as fit as possible for as long as possible in order to improve their quality of life and reduce the need for any early care interventions.

(4)  Council notes that the Coalition as part of their agreement together have signed up to the Corporate Plan and the Corporate Priorities.

(5)  Council further notes that being able to swim is also a matter of safety for Wirral residents who live on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water and demands that the administration guarantees free swimming on a permanent basis.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2):

Proposed by Councillor David Elderton

Seconded by Councillor Denis Knowles

Delete all after ‘(1) Council’ and replace with:

believes it is difficult for a local authority to provide free swimming if it has closed and demolished its swimming baths and leisure centres, as planned by the previous Labour-led administration.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2):

Proposed by Councillor Bob Moon

Seconded by Councillor Mark Johnston

Delete paragraphs (1) (2) and (3) and insert new paragraphs (1) and (2)

(1)  Council congratulates the Cabinet for taking swift action to reassure the Wirral public that there would be no immediate end to free swimming following the announcement that funding for free swimming was to be withdrawn by the Coalition Government.

(2)  Council recognises that in these difficult financial times, many spending decisions already agreed will need to be kept under review and that the Cabinet has commissioned a report on the costs and benefits of free swimming and how to safeguard access for the most vulnerable before reaching a conclusion on this matter.

Amend paragraph (4) and renumber as (3), delete “notes” and replace with “welcomes”.

Delete paragraph (5) and replace with final paragraph (4):

Council therefore also welcomes the fact that the Cabinet has called for a report on the effectiveness of spending against these priorities of projects and programmes funded by the Area Based Grant, rather than make the type of arbitrary cuts that would have been the hallmark of the Labour Party.

Having applied the guillotine in accordance with Standing Order 7(8) the Council did not debate this matter.

The amendment proposed by Councillor Elderton was put and lost (27:35) (One abstention).

The amendment proposed by Councillor Moon was put and carried (41:21) (One abstention).

Resolved (41:21:1) –

(1)  Council congratulates the Cabinet for taking swift action to reassure the Wirral public that there would be no immediate end to free swimming following the announcement that funding for free swimming was to be withdrawn by the Coalition Government.

(2)  Council recognises that in these difficult financial times, many spending decisions already agreed will need to be kept under review and that the Cabinet has commissioned a report on the costs and benefits of free swimming and how to safeguard access for the most vulnerable before reaching a conclusion on this matter.

(3)  Council welcomes that the Coalition as part of their agreement together have signed up to the Corporate Plan and the Corporate Priorities.

(4)  Council therefore also welcomes the fact that the Cabinet has called for a report on the effectiveness of spending against these priorities of projects and programmes funded by the Area Based Grant, rather than make the type of arbitrary cuts that would have been the hallmark of the Labour Party.