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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 5 September 2008

Come the Olympics 2012 will we still be scrimping on pools?

• FORTY per cent of respondents complained about the lack of a swimming pool close to where they live in a recent London survey.
According to Sport England’s recommended national standards, there should be one swimming pool for every 20,000 residents – yet in London we manage only one pool for every 66,000 residents.
There has been a constant shortage of funds because sports facilities are regarded as non-essential services and these are often the first to be cut when budgets are tight.
This needs to change. Local authorities should be given a statutory duty to ensure adequate leisure facilities and be assured of sufficient funding to bring their swimming provision up to scratch. It will be a real blight on Olympic London if we don’t see a real increase in local swimming facilities by 2012.
Darren Johnson AM
Green Party
London Assembly

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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