LOCAL LIB DEM COUNCILLORS PUSH FOR IMPROVEMENTS AT TADLEY POOL

The Tadley Health and Fitness Centre is a well-used and much-loved facility enjoyed by residents from Tadley and the surrounding areas. Liberal Democrat Cllr Jo Slimin (Tadley and Pamber) oversaw the building of the Tadley Pool which was successfully opened in 1998 when she was leading the Liberal Democrat group then running Basingstoke and Deane Borough council.

She said "A lot of hard work was put in to deliver the pool which was the most wanted leisure facility for residents then and still is today, So it was with a heavy heart that I learnt that the standards at Tadley Health and Fitness Centre had been allowed to slip by the operator Serco and I knew I needed to take urgent action to get improvements delivered quickly. Users of the facility deserve better and are rightly raising alarm bells with the current operation."

The nature of the complaints being received include far too frequent pool closures, constant breakdowns in the health suite and plant room, a decline in overall cleanliness, jacuzzi and showers being out of use for a long time with no sign of repair and issues with booking swimming lessons.

Fellow local Liberal Democrat Cllr Kerry Morrow (Tadley North, Kingsclere and Baughurst) visited the Tadley Health and Fitness Centre with his wife in December and was shocked at the state of disrepair. A conversation in the sauna with concerned members snowballed into a large number of complaints from the public being shared with the two councillors. Kerry explains "My role as a councillor is to pass on local issues where I find them and, in this case, we set about informing Serco and the Borough about the many complaints."

Basingstoke and Deane monitor the performance of Serco with regular meetings and site visits by Borough officers. However, they were unaware of the level or nature of some of these concerns as they had not been passed onto them. After positive meetings between the Lib Dem councillors, and a lot of hard work by the officers, a comprehensive list of concerns was provided to Serco with a demand on them to produce a timed action plan for improving the facilities.

Positive changes are already being seen with a new cleaning regime. A deep clean of the changing village and poolside floors is just weeks away and new cleaning equipment has been purchased to help the staff do their jobs more efficiently. Future upgrading of the toilets are planned in April/June this year and there are plans for more improvements in the pipeline.

After their latest meeting on 15 February with Borough officers, the Tadley Liberal Democrat Councillors further commented "We are extremely disappointed that Tadley Health and Fitness Centre has been so neglected and that the operator has allowed the service to our residents to drop so low. However, we are delighted with the response from Basingstoke and Deane Borough officers and are pleased to see the initial improvements already happening.

"Moving forward, we would like to see an improved complaints procedure being introduced by Serco as only with feedback can a business learn and improve. We also want to see better communication with the public. We will continue to monitor the improvements and demand a better service at Tadley Health and Fitness Centre."

Any enquiries on Tadley Centre related issues can be raised directly with Serco using the following email address: leisure.tadley@serco.com.

Contact details for Tadley, Baughurts and Kingsclere Liberal Democrats

Email tadleylibdems@btinternet.com

Cllr Jo Slimin

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Tadley and Pamber ward

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Email jo.slimin1@btinternet.com

Tel 07879 442982

Cllr Kerry Morrow

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Tadley North, Kingsclere and Baughurst ward' Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Email Kerrymorrow99@gmail.com

Tel 07422 651172