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Closure of Southern Swimming Pool


Major Rushen

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4 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Don't tell me they shit on work time too!

Known one or two in the private sector like that. Baked it until they got to work to make sure they were getting paid for the effort.

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10 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

I worked with a character who used to have one late every afternoon before going home for exactly that purpose.

The one I remember went every morning rather than late in the afternoon, because it gave him time for an in-depth study of the Racing Post before he laid his bets.

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17 minutes ago, TheTeapot said:

They haven’t done themselves any favours with that comment. You could perhaps argue that with swimming, pupils will achieve the best of academic results, and in later life, be attending top universities. 

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From the horses mouth. Somebody obviously knows what they are talking about:

SOUTHERN SWIMMING POOL BOARD - Press Release 18th January 2024
The report into regional sports hubs has now been issued by DESC and DOI.
 
The Southern Swimming Pool Board (SSPB) would like to reiterate that it has not asked for an increase in subvention payment. The report suggests that an additional £220,682 was requested. It was not. Indeed, the SSPB subvention payment has been frozen for the last 3 years.
 
Also, the report states that “an estimated £1million is required to extend the Southern Pool’s lifespan beyond the short term but this figure doesn’t improve the facility”. This is misleading as it relates to a total estimated maintenance cost over the next 30 years. If the pool was replaced at the same time as CRHS, it would only need maintaining for 5 years and would cost nowhere near £1million. By comparison, the NSC maintenance costs are £5.6 million over the same period.
 
In addition, there has been no calculation of the extra financial and time costs to transport 750 children to other facilities, assuming there is availability, if Southern Pool were to close. The analysis is incomplete without this figure.
The report is flawed, inaccurate and incomplete and should be adjusted to fairly represent the situation before being presented to Tynwald in February 2024.
 
There is another solution to DESC’s financial constraints which would enable all existing facilities to continue without any additional funding. All the regional pools could operate within their existing subvention payments and the NSC must adhere to its budget rather than just being allowed to overspend.
 
Alternatively, if DESC wishes to continue financing deficits at the NSC, it could ask for the eastern local authorities to pay a leisure rate like all the other local authorities across the island.
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15 minutes ago, woolley said:

From the horses mouth. Somebody obviously knows what they are talking about:

SOUTHERN SWIMMING POOL BOARD - Press Release 18th January 2024
The report into regional sports hubs has now been issued by DESC and DOI.
 
The Southern Swimming Pool Board (SSPB) would like to reiterate that it has not asked for an increase in subvention payment. The report suggests that an additional £220,682 was requested. It was not. Indeed, the SSPB subvention payment has been frozen for the last 3 years.
 
Also, the report states that “an estimated £1million is required to extend the Southern Pool’s lifespan beyond the short term but this figure doesn’t improve the facility”. This is misleading as it relates to a total estimated maintenance cost over the next 30 years. If the pool was replaced at the same time as CRHS, it would only need maintaining for 5 years and would cost nowhere near £1million. By comparison, the NSC maintenance costs are £5.6 million over the same period.
 
In addition, there has been no calculation of the extra financial and time costs to transport 750 children to other facilities, assuming there is availability, if Southern Pool were to close. The analysis is incomplete without this figure.
The report is flawed, inaccurate and incomplete and should be adjusted to fairly represent the situation before being presented to Tynwald in February 2024.
 
There is another solution to DESC’s financial constraints which would enable all existing facilities to continue without any additional funding. All the regional pools could operate within their existing subvention payments and the NSC must adhere to its budget rather than just being allowed to overspend.
 
Alternatively, if DESC wishes to continue financing deficits at the NSC, it could ask for the eastern local authorities to pay a leisure rate like all the other local authorities across the island.

Deary me. Ouch, that's some kick in goolies. You'd think someone in Treasury would have done their homework before getting someone else in DESC to do their dirty work.

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Just now, Andy Onchan said:

Deary me. Ouch, that's some kick in goolies. You'd think someone in Treasury would have done their homework before getting someone else in DESC to do their dirty work.

In the words of the title of one of our cinematic blockbusters, A Bunch of Amateurs.

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Maybe we should get our MHK's to call a no confidence vote on the CM,ministers for sport ,minister for Health and the Finance minister .

They all should take some responsibility for the state of the island and focus on what the manx people want and not what they focus .I don't remember the priority being getting the vote of the Bishop removed but sorting out the health system ,but not for our Health minister .

Again Finance minister to focused on right to die bill ,where for me its about affordable housing for all people ,put incentives in place to attract our universities graduates and key works to the island ,forget High networth individuals and if retired people want to retire to the island and take advantage of our low tax but haven't contributed to our economy  they should have their own Health care provision .

Sport minister ,get all the islands people to pay rates towards the pools ,I believe Douglas ,Onchan and Braddan don't pay anything and also have a meeting with the management at the NSC to understand why they are overspending their budget and come up with a realistic  business plan to make sure  they hit the budget .

Finally the Chief Minister because he has overseen this complete shambles ,again decisions about building a new wall on the prom ,the Liverpool landing stage ,was he not the finance minister when it was signed off .Also as he said yesterday" don't  forget you are here to represent the whole of the island so start doing so and finally stop employing Consultancy to see what's right for the island ,you have the biggest Consultancy agency on the island and it costs nothing ,its called the people that live on the island 

If all these worked as directors in the private sector they would have been sacked by now .

RANT OVER 

 

 

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7 minutes ago, johnny123 said:

Sport minister ,get all the islands people to pay rates towards the pools ,I believe Douglas ,Onchan and Braddan don't pay anything and also have a meeting with the management at the NSC to understand why they are overspending their budget and come up with a realistic  business plan to make sure  they hit the budget .

No objection to this, so long as the rest-of-the-island ratepayers make a contribution to all the things in Douglas/Onchan/Braddan than the rest of the island use but are funded by local rates. 

All that argument does is highlight the absurdity of the current local authority and rates set ups. All 4 island pools should be run by one body. All residents should be paying the same rates which go to fund things across the island. 

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6 minutes ago, finlo said:

Examples please.

If you drive to the ferry and it's dark then you're using streetlights funded by Douglas ratepayers. 

If you shop in Strand Street then you benefit from street cleaning funded by Douglas ratepayers. You may also enjoy one of the excellent events put on by the wonderful Douglas City Centre Management also funded by ratepayers. 

If you drive to the Hospital at nightime then you are using streetlights funded by Braddan ratepayers. 

All these examples are silly, because the current system is so laughable. There has to be a better way and a fairer settlement to provide these services. 

Southerners could always move to Douglas and pay Douglas rates if they want a pool on their doorstep. 

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