Sir - Like other elderly swimmers (not to mention disabled folk and those with very young children) I shudder to think of even lower temperatures in our local pools.

However, a letter from a friend about a sponsored swim event at Leyton Leisure Lagoon in London mentions that the pool, with other local leisure facilities, is run as a social enterprise, that is a not-for-profit co-operative owned and run by the staff.

Shouldn't the council consider this route, adopted by Greenwich Borough Council in 1993, in answer to proposed budget cuts and pool closures? A few emails to Greenwich would be far cheaper than hiring management consultants and the social enterprise structure seems more acceptable and more likely to be in touch with what Oxford people want than the present council-run debâcle, or some expensive public-private 'partnership' like those now burdening the NHS locally and elsewhere in Britain. Considering the eco-home improvements on show locally last weekend, with city council support, it could be interesting to see what's being done to save energy in city-owned buildings, including leisure sites. Wouldn't pool covers help? Or better insulated buildings? Or water-saving mixer heads in the showers?

Patricia Wright, Oxford