A COUNCILLOR has called for the Millom community to seek central government funding in a bid to ensure the town has its own swimming pool.

Cumbria County Council has submitted proposals to demolish the pool based at Millom School. The facility is in a poor state of repair with refurbishment estimates of around £279,000.

The pool is in the grounds of Millom School, which is run by the county council. The local authority has deemed the facility to be unsafe and said it should be demolished in July.

Much of the criticism at the proposal has been squared at the county council's door but compared to other parts of Cumbria, such as the nearest pools in Barrow or Whitehaven, leisure facilities are run either by the district council or a social enterprise.

Millom Town Council, in its official consultation response to Cumbria County Council, has argued the demolition of the pool would be "unlawful" and said no work should take place until a replacement is built, despite the fact the pool has been closed since last July.

Councillor Anne Burns, who holds the portfolio for children and young people on Cumbria County Council, said the local community should argue the case for central government funding to pay for a new pool.

"I do understand where the people of Millom are coming from and it's unacceptable kids won't have the facilities to learn to swim," Cllr Burns said.

"In Cumbria leisure facilities are run by the district council. I think the community should argue the case for central government funding or perhaps a grant from a sports organisation or Cumbria Community Foundation."

In the authority's official consultation response to the county council, Copeland Borough Council's managing director Pat Graham, said: "We have no objection to the above application."

A spokeswoman for Copeland Borough Council said: “As a council we support leisure activities in the area through Millom Recreation Centre.

"The centre currently has ambitious plans to extend its offer to the community by introducing more activities, and extending the existing building, and we are fully supportive of this.

“We are also backing the recently announced In-Harmony project which features plans for both indoor and outdoor natural swimming pools alongside a host of other facilities.”

The Save Millom Pool group is holding a public meeting at the Beggar's Theatre on June 23 from 11am to discuss the proposal.