Latest pools closure prompts furious row between council and leisure provider

Park Road Pools and Fitness in Crouch End has become the latest borough leisure centre to be closed, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Park Road Pools and Fitness in Crouch End and (inset) Haringey Council's leisure provider Fusion — Park Road Pools and Fitness in Crouch End and (inset) Haringey Council’s leisure provider Fusion

Haringey Council is at loggerheads with its leisure provider over the unexpected closure of swimming pools at a second centre in the borough.

The indoor and outdoor pools at Park Road Pools and Fitness in Crouch End have been closed for maintenance since last week, and Fusion – the charity that runs the centre on behalf of the council – has yet to confirm when they will reopen.

Tottenham Green Pools and Fitness, another centre operated by Fusion, has been closed for the whole of January because of an “ongoing electrical fault”, with no reopening date announced.

Haringey Council outsourced both services to Fusion in 2012 under a 20-year contract and is now locked in a dispute with the provider over the closures.

In a press release published on Friday (27th), Julie Davies, the council’s cabinet member for communities and civic life, said she was “disappointed” with Fusion’s response to the situation and its “failure to provide a timetable for satisfactorily addressing these issues”.

Cllr Davies said the civic centre’s leisure team had “identified maintenance issues” and considered it necessary for the pools at Park Road “to be closed until such time they are properly addressed”.

She added: “While we appreciate this will cause further frustration, protecting the safety of pool users and staff always has to be our top priority. Our health and safety team has also been involved in assessing the situation and working to help Fusion Lifestyle make the improvements needed to reopen the pool.”

Liberal Democrat opposition leader Luke Cawley-Harrison welcomed the intervention and called on the council to consider “temporarily taking over the management of Park Road under special measures to bring the service up to an acceptable level, before considering future options including alternative providers”. He claimed Fusion’s running of Park Road had been “inadequate for years”, citing a “long list of problems and complaints”.

Fusion chief executive Anthony Cawley hit back at the comments in a statement issued on Tuesday, saying the leisure provider was “disappointed” by the Lib Dem leader’s remarks and believed the council’s press release “was inaccurate and an unfair assessment of the situation”.

Anthony continued: “We are in ongoing discussions with the council and have offered to meet the councillor to go through his comments and concerns to ensure all parties are apprised of the correct facts.

“We would like to apologise for the frustrating start to 2023 at our leisure centres in Haringey and would like to reassure everyone that at no point were any pools unsafe for staff or users.

“Fusion is dedicated to providing an affordable, accessible and inclusive health and wellbeing offer to the residents of Haringey and we understand how these vital local services support people to live happy and healthier lives. As a registered charity, we are designed to re-invest in services and facilities, and have significantly invested into the centres over the last ten years.

“We are working very hard with the council and relevant insurance companies to resolve all the issues and ensure our facilities are fully open as soon as possible for residents.”

A council spokesperson said the authority stands by the comments made in the press release and insisted they were accurate.

Labour councillors for Crouch End say they have also written to the council leadership “to urge them to do whatever it takes to get our pools safe and open as soon as possible”, adding that they “will continue to advocate on behalf of our residents”.

Cllr Davies has confirmed the council “will be reviewing arrangements in our leisure provision to ensure that residents get the best possible service, and that closures like this are not repeated in the future”.

Update (7th February)

Fusion has announced that the swimming pools at Park Road Pools and Fitness in Crouch End will reopen on 8th February.

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