YOUR Opinion column (Sep 30) got it slightly wrong when it talked of Sheffield City Council refusing to go along with the Government initiative to provide free swimming for pensioners and children. The fact is the city council has never had the opportunity to discuss the Government offer of £370,000 to help fund this free swimming. It has been dismissed out of hand by the Liberal Democrat hierarchy and is an example of the arrogance of this new administration and their willingness to use
The fact is that Coun Sylvia Dunkley, the cabinet member for culture who called this offer 'a sham by the Labour Government', is the same person who at the PTA voted against the introduction of the 9am start for the free bus sevice for the elderly and also voted against the ring fencing of over £2million for our Adult Services, given to us by the NHS to the for this very purpose.
While rejecting this Government offer on the premise that it is insufficient, she is happily spending an extra £3million on the 13 to 19 year age group, an amount that was left to her by the previous Labour administration to increase participation in physical activities among our young people. Surely some of this money could have funded the swimming for the children, thus allowing pensioners the free swimming option, even if the times available may have needed to be adjusted.
Over the past few months this Lib Dem council has made resources available for several groups within our city including writing off of large debts. They also call our city Activity Sheffield and acknowledge the health inequalities and the importance of physical activity in providing a healthy community.
So just what have they got against our pensioners that they can turn down £350,000 offered to help us address this problem?
Unfortunately the deadline for this money has now passed and my big fear is that once we start refusing Government grants, governments tend to stop offering them.
Coun Peter Price, Chair of Sport England Yorkshire and member of Sheffield Pensioners Action Group
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