SNP accuses Labour of misleading Glasgow voters over swimming pool

Leaflets for Labour’s Garscadden/Scotstounhill candidates Eva Murray and Bill Butler state the pair are “standing with the community to re-open Scotstoun swimming pool”.

But the SNP candidate for the ward, Chris Cunningham, said a “cursory check” of the Glasgow Life website shows the pool is being refurbished and will re-open in June.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow Life, which runs sports and cultural services on behalf of the council, said the revamp had been delayed by covid, and material shortages, but confirmed that the pool will re-open next month.

Murray said there had been a lack of transparency and communication over the reasons for the delays. She added some residents had been forced to pay for “extortionate” private facilities due to the prolonged closure.

Cunningham asked the Labour candidates to “consider whether this leaflet is misleading”.

“The pool is being refurbished and for that to happen it has to be closed,” he said. “It is not closed because of cuts, it is not closed because of a lack of money.”

The SNP candidate added the pool doesn’t need a campaign to be re-opened and, while everyone would like it to be open sooner, a lot of capital projects are currently facing delays.

He believes a “great deal” of what Labour has been saying around this week’s council elections “appears to be misleading to voters”. “I’m not aware that the council can levy a windfall tax, I’m not aware that the council can unilaterally reduce energy bills.”

However, Murray said the community is concerned over Scotstoun pool because “we were told by Glasgow Life that it was re-opening late last year, then it was delayed until April of this year and now it’s expected to open in June this year”.

“Even the reason for the delay hasn’t been made clear. Some have been told it’s a delay in materials for refurbishment, others a shortage of chlorine as to why it’s not open. And because of the uncertainty, some people have been forced to consider extortionate swimming lessons, private pools and others simply priced out altogether.”

Murray said people are “rightly sceptical” of the SNP’s “just trust us approach to vital community facilities”. “Glaswegians have heard it before — with Whiteinch Library it wasn’t closed, it ‘just wasn’t open’.”

She added Labour would re-open every community centre in the city and has plans for “radical reform” of Glasgow Life.

Glasgow SNP leader Susan Aitken tweeted: “Labour’s local and national campaign in this election is among the most dishonest I’ve seen. Scotstoun pool will re-open next month.

“And, no matter how much we might want to, local government can’t implement an oil and gas windfall tax. A sure sign of their total lack of ideas.”

The Glasgow Life spokeswoman said: “We have been clear with our customers that Glasgow Club Scotstoun pool will reopen following the refurbishment which is currently taking place.

“In March 2022 we told our customers that, unfortunately, due to issues outwith our control and that of our contractor, we have experienced several delays to the project and the pool in Glasgow Club Scotstoun will reopen in June of this year.

“The ongoing impacts of Covid-19, as well as the lack of material availability and delivery being felt worldwide, have resulted in delays to the refurbishment carried out in the pool hall.

“We understand this is disappointing for all users and apologise for the inconvenience. Please be assured we are working as hard as we can to reopen this venue to the public as soon as we can.”