Sir – At a time when financial constraints have forced Oxford City Council to cut free swimming for over 60s, and reduced it for under 17s, it seems to make no sense whatsoever that, at the same time, they are intending to build a new swimming pool at Blackbird Leys (BBL) for £16.8m.

As part of this plan they would knock down Temple Cowley Pools (TCP) and sell it off. Nine thousand people in Oxford petitioned the council not to close TCP, but on September 1 they appeared to have been ignored by the executive board (all Labour councillors) who approved this plan.

This would leave all children and adults in the eastern half of the city with no swimming pool or gym, with the inevitable impact on this area of high deprivation and on obesity rates etc.

The council’s own survey shows that the majority of TCP users cycle or walk to the pool/gym, but there is obviously less chance that they would take the same options to Blackbird Leys.

The council’s own report shows it could totally rebuild Temple Cowley Pool for £9.9m, or do a refurbishment lasting 25 years for £6.27m. Not only would this save up to £10m it would also crucially retain two pools for both the east of Oxford and Blackbird Leys. The council’s previously undisclosed intention to sell off the TCP site — a vital asset belonging to our city — would in fact only realise £1.5m, a paltry sum barely impacting on the cost for a new BBL site.

Why would our councillors even consider spending double the amount of council taxpayers’ money whilst at the same time knocking down a well-loved pool? I would strongly urge them to reconsider.

Tany Alexander Oxford