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Baths should never have got into this state
• WHAT twerps your Labour correspondents Sam McBratney (failed candidate in Kentish Town) and Theo Blackwell (deputy leader of the Labour Council group) look in last week’s issue with their letters (They have had time to fix the pool problem, Feb 1).
Juxtaposed with the news that part of the roof over the Grafton pool has collapsed (Roof falls in on eve of bath’s £23m refit), they look more than usually silly accusing the Lib Dems of “riding rough-shod over the wishes of the local community” by deciding to close the pools and get on with the work of refurbishment, for which people voted at the Kentish Town elections last May and again at the by-election in December.
Labour had 35 years of council control in which they could have “fixed the pool problem”. Instead they did nothing, even in the way of essential repairs for decades.
Now suddenly Labour want us to have held more consultations and discussions, or even to have commissioned architects and consultants before we were elected.
Of course we all remember how widely we residents and pool users were consulted about Labour’s schemes to close and sell off the Kentish Town Baths, and what detailed information we were given about their wild (and largely secret) dreams for a new pool in Talacre Gardens.
Mr McBratney says in his letter: “We’re even prepared to endure a bit of pain while they (the baths) receive a facelift.”
Doesn’t he realise that what the baths need is not a facelift but a comprehensive restoration? That “bit of pain” Mr McBratney was so nobly prepared for others to endure could easily have seen somebody killed.”
Cllr Faruque Ansari
Athlone Street, NW5
• I CAN'T believe the hypocrisy of the Lib Dem’s decision to close Kentish Town Baths with no notice, leaving pool users high and dry.
This seems especially hard on the hundreds of children who used to learn to swim there.
When it was politically expedient to do so the Lib Dems used the issue of learner swimmers to curry favour with voters across the borough.
But, despite having had nine months in power at the Town Hall, they now seem to care so little about learner swimmers that they haven’t bothered to find the time to either consider or plan for alternative swimming lessons for the borough’s youngsters. This should have been resolved before the roof started falling in.
Can the Lib Dems tell Camden’s children when they will get their swimming lessons back, or will it be ‘some time in 2010’?
Sarah Hayward
Leverton Street, NW5
• KENTISH Town Sports Centre is shutting soon and it is almost certainly for the best in the long run but no staff should be made redundant and they should be moved within a reasonable distance of the centre to limit the impact.
In the last few days a disturbing development has taken place where two employees originally from Slovakia, seem to be being forced out of their jobs.
So I’m writing to complain about the treatment of these two at Kentish Town Baths by GLL (Camden Council partners) both residents of Camden.
When joining GLL both where assigned to Kentish Town and both were never told about any closure plans of the centre and so set up homes in Camden.
There was no negotiation with these employees to move them. This whole episode seems to have been brought on by Camden Council not giving GLL enough notice of the closure of Kentish Town pools.
Camden prides itself on the diverse community, so this is a time to protect two new member of our diverse community?
Mark Oram
Royal College Street, NW1
• THE roof falling in at Kentish Town Baths underlines the desperate need for their refurbishment.
But, once again, doesn’t this show how badly Camden looks after its assets, or rather our assets?
I live in a house of similar vintage to the baths but, apart from a few minor blemishes, the building is as solid as when it was built over a century ago.
This good state of affairs is because we and all former owners, have spent money on repairs, maintenance and renovation over the decades including a complete new roof.
Doesn’t the council and its officers believe in maintenance on a regular basis?
David Reed
Eton Avenue, NW3
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