Westminster Lodge call-in rejected (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

I agree with Councillor Donald: it is a shame to have lost some sustainable features of the new pool complex; along with pool-side health suite and other items just in order to increase the pool from eight to ten lanes without any additional cost.

Councillor Eileen Harris summed up the whole evening, which on Westminster Lodge took from 7pm to 10.30pm. To paraphrase (look on web cast for direct quote) this is no longer Overview and Scrutiny but the Robert Donald show!

He came with a prepared list of recommendations despite the nature of O&S to collectively to form resolutions AFTER hearing the evidence. He spoke drivel for the majority of the meeting hardly allowing anyone else to speak. Claiming he was try to protect the council taxpayer. Bit late in the day to start worrying about us councillor when you had committed us all to over £15m borrowing, to meet the circ £27m bill for this new centre!

For me it was an abuse of what had been one of the best, for years, all party committees in the council. It should not be a platform for an alternative leadership show!

One of the speakers against the extra two lanes (which wasn’t the reason for the call in) was a failed Lib Dem local election candidate, no bias there then!

On to the much vaunted loses.

Only ONE of the SEVENTEEN energy saving products and techniques will be lost in the changes belying the above comment.

The additional poolside health suite will be lost, BUT the £3m deluxe model is still retained only a few yards away. The secondary score board for the swimming pool will be lost along with a few other minor changes such as ‘off the shelf’ cycle covered bays instead of bespoke.

I expect local politicians to hold party views, but I feel they should hold the best interests of the people and the district before their party political beliefs. Last night Councillor Donald demonstrated to me he had only one thing on his mind; he lost the leadership of the council at Mays elections and just can’t seem to accept it.

I suggest Councillor Donald turns to Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ to gain inspiration on as to how to behave. If he took that advice he may have been leader again but not many people have much time for a bad loser.

Although it's technically a minority Tory Council or a NOC Council, there's very little likelihood of the Cons being outvoted by a Lib/Lab/Green/Indie coalition in full Council, so winning this vote would have achieved nothing, just as winning a similar vote a year ago in favour of 10 lanes achieved nothing. So what was being attempted was a moral victory, but in the end even that wasn't achieved, since the vote went against the 'opposition.'

I think the Libdems are their own worst enemies. If the Left believes in more public subsidy for libraries/swimming pools etc - although pooltoosmall point out that some pools manage to break even - and the Right want less subsidy and lower taxation, the Libdems need to find an independent viewpoint.

To parody and to be unfair, their efforts to remove the pool subsidy by creating not just one but two spa 'experiences' alongside, reeks of trying to remove the subsidy on the Royal Ballet by having a lap dancing club installed at Covent Garden.

Setting aside the dodgy nature of such clubs, the economics of such a proposal are even more dodgy.

If such a commercial venture were to succeed, then all that would happen is that rivals would set up in competition. It's basic economics that you can't enjoy ab/super-normal profits for long.

There are no economic barriers to entry to 'clubs' in Soho or to hotel 'spa experiences' in St Albans.

They're making the same mistake with the Maltings Cinema proposal. It's just plain dotty to set up in competition with the new London Rd cinema.

I don't like to admit it but the new Tory admin is saving us from some horrendous miscalculations. There is some merit in having capitalists on the council!

Venessa,

Thanks for putting the record straight wrt the changes to Westminister Lodge plans - I am now a lot happier with the changes and will once again start looking forward to the opening of the long overdue due center.

David Gilroy , leader of PoolTooSmall on www.pooltoosmall.com says re the new Lodge spas. Council figures last year put the 2 spas at a total of £2.9million.The poolside one ,now removed, would I estimate have saved maybe £0.7 million leaving a whopping £2.2 million spa just 25 metres away on site having saunas , mud baths and the "Roman experience" etc. An excellent change for the better and securing the 10 lanes within budget!Check the display in the Westminster Lodge foyer for more. So relax al4 0dr you will have a
"whale" of a time .
Best wishes,
David Gilroy on www.pooltoosmall.com

27 July 2011.