I am very concerned about the future of Temple Cowley pools, gym and sauna suite.

Our Save TCP campaign group has been trying to show the executive board of the city council that it really is not a good idea to close it.

Certainly the public do not want to see it demolished, due to its excellent location – in a place we can all access by various modes of transport, with a choice of about 10 different bus routes.

Schools also want to keep it here – at least three are able to walk their pupils here. Taking buses to a different part of the city would cost more and take a great deal of time from their day.

Many of us can walk here, and even chose our homes on the basis of their close proximity to the pool.

The building is only 23 years young and should have a life expectancy of at least 60 years. We only ask that the council maintains TCP on a regular basis. Though, ideally, carrying out a refurb, which would cost a great deal less than building from new.

Our dialogue with the council has now encouraged them to run a survey of people’s opinions on the pool’s future. This has come out in the form of an online survey, which means that many people will not be able to access it, even if they know of its existence.

They have made it possible to download the survey form but, again, that would depend on people knowing that it exists and where to find it.

It is also supposed to be available at the pool for people to ask for (if they know it is there), but at least one member of staff didn’t know anything about it when asked recently.

I don’t think that it is a good idea for people to deliver completed forms to the pool directly. That would be like handing your completed voting form to the party that you have not voted for.

The actual survey looks like an off-the-peg questionnaire, with no mention of the threat of closure.

It has questions about how satisfied you are with the condition of the premises. If you say ‘dissatisfied’ they can interpret that as a reason to demolish it. If you say that you are satisfied then they would say that it does not need refurbishment. I would like to see a different survey, done by an independent group not a consultation by the city council.

I’m completely sure that we have the support of 99.9 per cent of the public, who want to keep the pool with an eco-refurbishment; we have more that 4,000 signatures to prove it.

The council has also announced public meetings at 5.30pm today and on Thursday – regarding the future of Temple Cowley and Blackbird Leys pools.

But they gave incredibly short notice.

Also, most working people will not be able to make any meeting which starts at 5.30pm, while parents will be giving their children their meals at that time.

That leaves mainly retired and unemployed people, who have to get through the rush hour traffic to attend –unless they have something else already arranged.

It is interesting that the Town Hall lets rooms without charge on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 9.30pm for public meetings, that generally being considered the most popular time to hold such gatherings.

I believe that all public meetings which are to take place should be announced with at least four weeks’ notice, with an agenda to which people can add.

Jane Alexander

Oxford