Media release
Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer

Saturday, 29 October 2011

‘Free’ swimming pools will cost miles more than $5.5m

Universal free public access to Auckland Council’s 24 swimming pools will cost a lot more than is being claimed by Mayor Len Brown, says Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer.

“The Mayor’s telling everyone that free entry to the region’s 24 pools will cost ratepayers $5.5 million. Yet it cost ratepayers $6.7m to keep six pools free last year in Manukau alone.

“If it already costs ratepayers over $1m per free pool in Manukau, then it’s going to cost a lot more than $5.5m to keep 24 pools free region-wide.

“The Mayor is trying to hook everyone in by banding around the $5.5m figure, but his own experience in Manukau shows it could possibly be five times more expensive.

“What’s more, a universal free swimming pool policy would bring significant added costs to Auckland’s 24 swimming complexes, such as the need for bigger changing facilities, more staff, and overall much more on-going maintenance,” says Cameron Brewer

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