Free Swims Axed

[snowdropz]

so now they are removing the free swims.. what a total and utter disgrace...

I simply can not believe that this is being implemented.

Swimming is a healthy activity that both young and old can enjoy!

please don't ffs me.

and i'm pretty sure that there are alot more rich people. maybe it's where i live - but houses that cost £5mil have no trouble selling round here.

I think if we have to make cuts somewhere this is a better idea than cutting midwives, bin collections, teachers, body armour for our soldiers, jobseekers' allowance etc. It is sad and inconvenient for many people but is unlikely to have an immediate devastating effect on peoples' lives.

We never had this, had to pay once DS turned 5...

i would prefer the money to go into extending free swimming for primary aged children, two years (standard here) really aren't enough. it's a basic life skill

The scheme was due to finish in March 2011 anyway, so just finishing 8 months earlier than originally planned.

Why should it be free?

So that children whose parents are on low incomes are able to swim as often as those whose parents have a high income.

Swimming has a range of benefits including being a healthy exercise and a positive use of time.

"It makes me wonder how people will cope if they are so upset about losing free swimming"

oh I'll cope - don't know how yet (single mum on benefits here), but I'll cope.

Losing the free swimming (and yes I know it was only due to run to March next year) simply means that DS2 will have to wait until he's in Yr4 to start going swimming - I hope that by the time DS3 is in YR4 it won't be an issue and I'll be able to afford it regularly anyhow.

In a bit of a dliema here - whilst I agree we need to sort out and pay pack the amount we own asap some of these sorts of cust have more of a knock on effect.

Has the funding meant more people been using local council facilities - i.e. parents who pay take them more so the net effect is more people. If you cut the subsidy, less people use the centres, demand goes down, so that means they can't justify keeping open public leisure facilities - so only the better off will be able to use private facilities.

Need to look very closely at each spending and see what can be cut - would prefer to see the Olympics scaled back to a minimum and make sure money is not wasted and any facilities left are really used later.

Personally we pay for regular swimming lessons which cost quite a bit a month for 2 - they used to do an offer whewre if you pay for a year at once you get free swimming we declined as the offer to swim fre was there due to the scheme - just messes it all up again for us. So more waste is occuring.

If its afforable then yes swimming should be free for all children up to 16.

I'd rather they axe the free swims than cut more and more and more jobs.

Sure, it's a life skill, but having a job is pretty important, too.

They have to make cuts. This is how it is.

I've never lived in a country where so many people expect so much for free.

Trouble is, as they say in economics, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.'

well expat- they're going to cut the jobs as well.........

Yes, they are, toc. Lots of them.

But they have to make lots of other painful cuts, too.

In Scotland, the government has frozen council tax rises.

This means fewer services.

There isn't the money for everything anymore.

so 6 weeks left of free swimming. make the most of it peeps. i cant use the sessions anyway as have 3 under 8, and dh works weekends.

its cutting it early.

look into your local leisure cards etc, as often can make a lot of savings and tbh swimming is a lot cheaper than most activities offered. skating for instance is £5+ per session. compared to £2.50 for swimming session.

see the way I look at it is a bit like what the last Tory government did to "save money" and shut lots of facilities for the "yoof" to use/cut funding for them. The next generation of "yoof" ended up roaming the streets as they had sod all else to do because there was no where for them to go - eventually they had to introduce ASBO's and the rest of it.

So has probably cost more in the long run to sort out the problems caused by the "savings".

Not saying this is nessecarily true of the swimming, but an accumulation of such cuts could easily end up costing the country more in the long run and causing even more problems.

oh I don't know - just seems like the savings are neglible when you look at the money they're trying to claw back.

Talking of "clawing back" (and slightly ot) - I know our current schools system isn't great...........but how much is setting up this "Free Schools" thing actualy going cost? Does anyone know??

misdee - I would make the most of it if DS1 was more competent in the water

Been waiting for him to finish his term of swimming and then we were going to start going. As DS2 is my "sporty" one (but not into ball sports really) and when we went on holiday 2years ago and got a chance to go in the swimming pool absolutely loved it.

I agree with Expat

Look, they're not going to just 'tax the rich'. Because this is a capitalist nation now governed by a Tory/LibDem coalition.

So that's just not a solution.

Instead, there are going to be cuts.

And, really, with capital gains increase, hold on lifting inheritance tax threshold, cutting tax credits and child benefit for earners over £50K, etc., 'the rich' are not being exempted here.

I cried on Election night and all the next day.

Because didn't want a Tory government.

But that's too bad.

It's what we are stuck with.

I can see that it is a shame for some people. However on a personal level i am delighted, i just phoned leisure centre in next LA area and i can now take dd swimming with me in the ladies only session, which they banned when free swimming was introduced as it was too popular So i havent been able to take dd swimming at all, i could veven pay for her, instead paid for lessons for her alone. My council never introduced free swimming for kids just over 60s.

Sorry I think free swim sessions aren't suddenly going to make families fitter.

Most people taking their dc swimming just splash about playing,there is no space to do continuous lengths.

walking to and from school-free

playing outside after school-free

kicking a ball around in the park-free

etc,etc,etc

All of the above will burn up far more calories than half an hour splashing in a pool.

Keeping your own child fit is your own responsibility not the gov's and as somebody who is just about to loose ctc I personally would far rather silly schemes like this were all axed(and never started in the first place) so people didn't have to loose part of their monthly income which they use to pay their mortgage.

Our council offers discounts to people on benefits, students and over 60s. You pay an annual fee of £5 (£1 for a child) and a discounted price when you do the activity.

Swimming for example is £1.50 per adult and 0.80p per child.

"free swim sessions aren't suddenly going to make families fitter"

Mila you're right, it's not a sudden change, it's a very gradual, slow burn process of shifting attitudes, cultural expectations and activities.

The Change4Life stuff has all been cut too. And I'm sure SureStart will be cut at some point. It's so easy to cut long term things which don't immediately show results. In the end, we will all end up paying more in the NHS, the criminal justice system, Social Services and our quality of life, but by the time we are paying for it, it will have been integrated into govt budgets so it doesn't matter.