Craven swimming pools to install solar panels

Two swimming pools in the Craven area have won £66,000 from the government to help with energy costs.

Ingleton Outdoor Swimming Pool will receive £44,911 and Settle Swimming Pool will receive £21,000 from the Swimming Pool Fund following an announcement this week.

The money will be used to install solar panels at both facilities and pool covers at Ingleton Pool.

With the increase in energy costs over recent years, the government says it has “stepped in” to ensure pools and leisure centres remain open. 

Last year, North Yorkshire Council completed a project to install solar panels on the roof of Craven Leisure in Skipton.

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, said: “This funding will go a long way to improving their energy efficiency and reducing running costs, paving the way to a more financially and environmentally sustainable future. I applaud the dedicated staff and volunteers for all their hard work.”

Settle Pool had a previous bid for government funding rejected in December.

The popular volunteer-run facility reopened in October 2022 following an £840,000 redevelopment but there have been fears in the town it could close for good as it struggles to meet costs.

It’s been forced to increase the price of an adult swim by 75p and customers are being asked to make financial donations to keep the pool running.

This month North Yorkshire Council announced it was waiving loan repayments at the pool for six months to help the under-threat facility improve its cashflow situation.

The government says 442 swimming pools in 367 local authorities will have benefited from a share of £80 million in funding since the fund was announced in last year’s budget.

However, an analysis of Sport England data by the Guardian newspaper found a net decline of 382 swimming pools across the country since 2010.