Over-60s will have to pay to swim in city pools from next week under a plan by Oxford City Council to cut its £113,000-a-year free swimming programme.

Under the proposal, some free swimming would still be offered to children but would be limited to set sessions at certain pools on certain days.

And free swimming would also not be offered to children who live outside the city.

The proposals, due to be ratified next week, have been put forward following the Government’s decision to get rid of a nationwide subsidy for free swimming.

The council had investigated a number of options for swimming concessions — including charging over-60s and children 50p per swim — before settling on a plan to charge over-60s £2.10.

Free swimming — in all pools and at all times — has been offered to under-17s since 2006 and was introduced by the city council before the Government subsidy was brought in.

The scheme was extended to over-60s in 2009.

The swimming programme costs the council £113,000 every year, but £100,000 of this was met by the Government subsidy.

Last year, 43,700 free swims were taken by under-17s in city pools and 30,842 were taken by over-60s.

Under the revised plans, over-60s would be charged a concessionary rate of £2.10 to swim, rising to £3.10 at the Hinksey outdoor pool.

Free swimming would be offered to under-17s for a total of 30 hours per week across four city pools, with free sessions running after school and on Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes.

No decision has been made yet on the precise allocation of free swimming time for under-17s, but it has been suggested that there could be four hours of free swimming at Blackbird Leys, 9.5 hours at Barton Pool, seven hours at Temple Cowley and 9.5 hours at Ferry Sports Centre.

Council leader Bob Price said the changes were being forced on the council by Government funding cuts.

He said that the decision was taken to try to preserve an element of free swimming for under-17s because that group would benefit most.

He said: “It is the group that if you can establish good exercise habits early in their life, they are likely to be retained.”

He added that free swimming for over-60s had “not generated a significant number of new participants”.

“It has had beneficial effects but not on the scale one would hope,” he added.

Over-60 swimmer Kathleen Dean, from Cowley, said: “It’s a shame.

“More people have gone swimming because it’s free and when they introduce charging again I don’t think some will be able to afford to go as often.”

A decision on free swimming will be made by the council's executive board on Wednesday, September 1.