Labour MPs call on water firms to save Britain’s lost lidos | Swimming

Refreshing, blue expanses of water have been a lifesaver for many people lucky enough to live near a swimming pool during the UK’s recent heatwave.

Now a group of 20 MPs, together with the Fabian Society, are calling for this aid to be made available to all, with water companies financing the reopening of the country’s lost indoor pools.

A new report by the think tank has called on Andy Burnham, who is expected to be the next prime minister, to use the upcoming water bill to make water companies responsible for funding swimming facilities such as local community swimming pools.

Lidos, or public outdoor pools, were built in the United Kingdom in the 1930s. The beautiful, often art deco, buildings were inexpensive to visit and were intended as a way for everyone to stay healthy during the summer months. But by the end of the 1980s almost two-thirds were abandoned or demolished. While there were more than 300 lidos in Britain in the 1930s, only a third were still open in 1990.

Some are still closing today, and many communities are struggling to keep their doors open. For example, Tooting Bec lido, the country’s largest freshwater outdoor pool, was saved from closure in the 1990s by a South London swimming club that took over management of the pool in the less snowy winters.

Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt campaigned for years to renovate Hillsea port in her Portsmouth constituency and open it to the public. appeared unforgettably She appeared on television in a swimsuit for the game show Splash to raise money. lido opened to the public this year.

Peterborough Labor MP Andrew Pakes successfully campaigned to keep the city’s pool open after the council suggested budget plans could be scrapped.

He started a campaign group of Labor MPs whose constituencies were derelict or at risk. He said: “Andy Burnham talks a lot about pride and so this could be a small but important part of his policy agenda.”

Pakes has been a regular swimmer at Peterborough Lido since becoming an MP in 2024. “My Peterborough Lido turned 90 this year and was almost closed two years ago, having been neglected for years,” he said. “I helped run a campaign to reverse this situation and it has flourished since then – 1,500 people used it on bank holiday Monday last week.”

MPs are backing a new report from the Fabian Society which sets out ways to save public outdoor pools from extinction. The think tank notes: “These are more than just outdoor swimming pools. The idea behind the architecture was that the factory worker, the coal miner, the office clerk, the apprentice and the housewife had as much right to relax on a sundeck or enjoy a swim in clear water as the aristocrat on an ocean liner or the stockbroker on the beach in Monte Carlo.”

The report says the bill could include a duty for water companies to “promote and facilitate public access to safe outdoor swimming” in their areas, and suggests the legislation could be worded to require companies to cooperate with local authorities to ensure a minimum of swimming pools are provided per population or area. This may include building a new swimming pool, renovating an old one, or building or creating a swimming lake.

Pakes said: “Many councils have had to struggle to manage our wonderful assets such as lidos and public pools. This is a rallying cry for us to get behind lidos. These pools are testament to how we have done it in the past and show how we can be ambitious about creating new lidos and reopening derelict lidos.”

He said the lido campaign was supported by MPs including Cabinet Minister Anna Turley, who was “interested in opening a lido in Redcar”.

Swimming outdoors in the summer months is becoming increasingly popular as the climate warms. Better, the country’s largest public swimming operator, has confirmed that summer 2025 is the busiest it has ever seen for indoor pools and outdoor swimming areas. Between June and August 2025, swimming visits increased by 30% to 542,998, compared to 416,847 in the same period in 2024.

“Outdoor swimming is becoming much more important for everyone, with summers getting hotter we need people with public health and public interest,” Pakes said.

MPs campaign to bring back lidos

• Worthing MPs Beccy Cooper and Tom Rutland are working to secure funding to restore and reopen the Grade II-listed coastline.

• stroud Simon Opher is campaigning to repair and reopen the art deco lido, which was built in 1937 and closed in 2025 after the council said it could not afford the £5 million renovation costs for the lining, pumps, valves and piping that were recommended as being required.

• Bishop Auckland Sam Rushworth backs reopening Stanhope port.

• peterborough Andrew Pakes ran a successful campaign to save his constituency’s pool and sponsored parliamentary debates to highlight the wider importance of pools.

• Ipswich Jack Abbott supported efforts to restore Broomhill indoor pool. The pool has been closed since 2002, but after two decades of campaigning, a £10 million restoration (with national lottery funding) is underway and the pool aims to reopen the pool in 2026.