RENFREWSHIRE Leisure chiefs have been told to get the finger out and fix faulty lockers and malfunctioning showers at Erskine Pool, writes Jack Thomson.
Stinging complaints have been aired about the facility, which is located at Bridgewater Shopping Complex in the town.
Andrew Horner, secretary of Erskine Community Council, said: “Some of the lockers have doors that are hanging off and a few you put a coin in and the door won’t actually lock.
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“I go down two or three times a week first thing in the morning and when I’m there people are always pointing out the lockers. One has even been patched up with Sellotape.
“I don’t blame the staff because they report it, but Renfrewshire Leisure needs to get the finger out and sort it.”
In June, Erskine councillor Tom Begg contacted Renfrewshire Leisure with concerns from the community council about the “neglected works”.
He forwarded an email to the body from Mr Horner, which read: “Erskine Community Council has received some complaints about the local swimming pool that need to be brought to the attention of Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire Leisure.
“On the latest renovation that took place a few months ago, the pool was drained so that defective tiles could be replaced. It would appear that other work was neglected.
“Broken lockers were not fixed. Malfunctioning showers were not fixed (some adjustments have been made since) and poor condition paintwork was left as it was.
“In the eyes of some local residents, the pool has been neglected for a long time and it would appear that the authorities in charge are reluctant to spend money on it.
“Perhaps the facility is being run down and will eventually close?”
A response from Mark Tokeley, head of leisure and community services at Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “The suggestion that Erskine Pool is being neglected and “run down” is erroneous.
“In 2010, Renfrewshire Council invested £500,000 in refurbishing the pool in order that it remained fit for purpose and use by the local community for many years to come.
“Last year, Renfrewshire Leisure invested a further £70,000 into Erskine Pool to address issues with the pool tank tiling. These capital projects reflect Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire Leisure’s commitment to maintenance of Erskine Pool.
“The issues referred to by Mr Horner are general maintenance issues, not items that would be addressed within capital programmes.
“It is my understanding from our strategic asset manager that he has visited Erskine Pool very recently and that any and all repairs and maintenance issues are being addressed according to our normal maintenance protocols.”
A later email from Mr Tokeley added: “The ongoing issues with lockers (missing keys, straps and malfunctioning locks) will all be addressed shortly when the engineer from our locker supplier visits (they are based in south east England).
“In order to get best value from an engineer visit, we hold back locker repairs until we have sufficient work to make an engineer visit cost effective, which can lead to some delays in repairs, which is unfortunate, but necessary as we seek to drive best value for RL.”
Mr Horner has been critical of the repair process.
He said: “It actually amazes me that the guy has to come up from England — what’s that all about? I would think a local authority would appoint local tradesmen to do this work.”
A spokesman for Renfrewshire Leisure has since said: “We welcome feedback from our customers, so we can continue to improve our services to the public.
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“In 2010, Renfrewshire Council invested £500,000 in refurbishing Erskine pool and last year Renfrewshire Leisure spent £70,000 to address issues with the pool’s tiling.
“In relation to the day-to-day maintenance of the pool, one of our strategic asset managers recently visited Erskine Swimming Pool and repairs and maintenance issues are being addressed.”
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