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Somerset pool's future secured
The future of a swimming pool at the Kings of Wessex Leisure Centre in Cheddar, Somerset, has been safeguarded after the local council confirmed that it would continue funding the facility.
It had been claimed last week that Sedgemoor District Council (SDC) was planning to withdraw funding worth £200,000 a year from 1 April in an attempt to fill a £1.2m shortfall in its budget. However, following a meeting with representatives from the Kings of Wessex School, SDC has agreed to continue making an annual revenue contribution towards the running of the facility, while also providing a capped maintenance fund of £400,000.
SDC chief executive, Kerry Rickards, said: "We appreciate that many people are worried about the future of this highly-valued facility. That's why we have taken a sensible, long-term view of how the pool and leisure centre needs to be funded to make sure that both are viable in today's economic climate."