Montrose’s new £10m swimming pool is still affordable despite the need for Angus Council to make up to £30m of cuts in the next four years.
The assurance has been given by Montrose councillor and corporate services convener Mark Salmond after doubt was cast over the future of the project by Arbroath councillor Alex King who called for a root-and-branch examination of every single item of expenditure, including the pool.
Mr King questioned the sense of proceeding with the new pool which would also involve additional ongoing burdens on revenue at a time when the council was facing cuts.
Mr Salmond has dismissed the comments as “political posturing by the SNP.”
“It is in the capital plan and the Alliance administration is committed to it,” he said.
The current 48-year-old indoor pool suffered from concrete cancer and was beyond economic repair.
A review of all the pools in Angus placed Montrose top of the priority list.
“That is why we are building a new one, otherwise Montrose will end up with no pool,” he added.
He revealed that a “special repayment strategy,” introduced by the administration to reduce borrowing and smooth the way for future borrowing, had reduced debt by £2.5m so far.
“We are following a responsible borrowing strategy,” said Mr Salmond.
“It was not correct to say the council could not afford the revenue costs.
“There would be economies made by sharing a campus with the sports centre and by using the latest high-tech installation to make the building cheaper to run.”
Mr Salmond added that the council was in discussion with GlaxoSmithKline about the possibility of using surplus power generated by their proposals to utilise wind and wave power on their site.No questionCouncillor David May said that as far as he was concerned, doubt about the pool had never been raised.
“The old pool is past its shelf life and I am disappointed that Councillor King is suggesting there is doubt about its replacement,” he said.
“There is no question that the Montrose pool is the first to be replaced.”
Local SNP councillors Paul Valentine and Sandy West said they both wanted a replacement pool, but were less certain that current proposals might not be overtaken by events.
“We have not been told what is under threat and it is difficult to give a definitive answer but there will be competing priorities and I would accept something less than what is proposed,” said Mr Valentine.
“Montrose needs a pool but if savings have to be made I would be prepared to consider something less ambitious.”
Mr West said he wished to see the current plans go ahead and he agreed that shared staff with the sports centre could result in savings, but with the threatened cuts, these plans might be overtaken.
A council spokeswoman confirmed that work is expected to begin on the pool project in January 2011, with completion in October 2012.