Council 'looking for ways' to extend Abingdon lido's season
Naomi Richardson, who campaigned to get the pool revamped, previously told the BBC: "I think we can say that it's disappointing - that would be an understatement."I feel very frustrated about the potential that is being wasted, both for the town as a whole and the opportunities that are being denied people to enjoy the facility."In a statement, the council said: "We're looking for ways to lower costs and hope to extend the season in the future."It's important to be careful and to remain within our operating budget so we can continue to open this popular site during the busy summer months, whilst also continuing to support other important services and our most vulnerable residents."In total, the pool will be open for six weeks over the summer holidays. An adjacent splashpad has already reopened.Unlike Abbey Meadows, most of Oxfordshire's lido's have already reopened to coincide with the unseasonal dry and warm weather.Banbury's Woodgreen pool and Wallingford's Riverside pool both opened last week, while Hinksey outdoor pool in Oxford reopened at the start of April.
You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
Newscast The Battle For Car Finance Compensation
Today, a landmark result from the Supreme Court rules that lenders won't have to pay compensation to millions of motorists over car finance loans. The Court determined dealerships weren't duty-bound to act solely in the interests of their customers, overturning a previous judgement that ruled in favour of consumers. It was a long and complex verdict so Adam is joined by political correspondent Helen Catt and Theo Leggett, international business correspondent, to help break it down. And, Global stocks have dropped after President Trump has increased tariffs on more than 90 countries. Canadian PM Mark Carney says he is 'disappointed' that the US tariff on Canada has increased from 25% to 35%. Higher tariffs for Mexico were paused for another 90 days, but Brazil faces a 50% levy. Adam is joined by Dharshini David, deputy economics editor. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast'. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@ or send us a whatsapp on +44 0330 123 9480. New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Gabriel Purcell-Davis and Jada Meosa John. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Network Rail cuts maintenance spending after net zero increases electricity costs
Network Rail has slashed its maintenance budgets after the Government's net zero targets pushed up electricity prices. Sir Andrew Haines, the chief executive of Network Rail, said rising electricity prices had forced the organisation, which looks after train tracks and stations, to 'focus more on refurbishment than renewal' in the coming years. He said the change in focus meant more money had to be spent buying power for trains instead of replacing worn-out railway infrastructure. A rail trade body chief described this as a 'consequence of Britain's broken energy policy'. Writing in Network Rail's annual financial accounts, published this week, Sir Andrew said: 'We've seen our spend on traction power rise by 40 per cent, squeezing what we have left further. 'Our Control Period 7 plans reflected that, setting out that we are expecting to focus more on refurbishment than renewals, but with a continued focus on safety and performance.' Control Period 7 is the name for Network Rail's £43.1bn operations and maintenance budget over the next four years. It covers everything from electricity for trains to buying new rails and revamping stations. It comes as the country struggles with soaring electricity prices caused by net zero policies. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has previously claimed bills are rising because of the price of gas used in some power stations. Others point to the number of wind and solar farms being built, with Government officials guaranteeing to developers that high prices will be paid for the electricity those sites generate. Steven Mulholland, the chief executive of the Rail Plant Association, which represents railway maintenance vehicle companies, condemned the shrinking maintenance budget. He said: 'Network Rail's decision to cut back renewals and rely on patch-up repairs is a direct consequence of Britain's broken energy policy. 'Track renewal isn't optional. It underpins safety, reliability and growth. If the Government allows short-term costs to dictate strategy, it risks dismantling the supply chain we'll need to rebuild later at far greater cost.' Freight firms fading In July, The Telegraph revealed an electric freight train company was on the brink of collapse, partly because of high power prices. Varamis Rail has suspended all operations and stopped paying its staff after finding it too difficult to compete against road freight, although it hopes to restart in mid-September. Among the high costs it has faced are those for traction electricity used to power its trains, which, according to Telegraph analysis of Network Rail figures, doubled in price between 2020 and 2024. Other rail freight companies have invested in ' bi-mode ' locomotives, which can run on either electricity from the overhead lines or an onboard diesel engine. Operators of such engines, including GB Railfreight, which is currently introducing its bi-mode Class 99 locomotives into service, can therefore run them on whichever propulsion method is the cheapest, depending on diesel and electricity prices. A Network Rail spokesman said power costs had increased by 50 per cent between the 2022-23 financial year and now. He said: 'Although utility costs represent a larger share of our spending in this control period compared with the previous five years, they still represent a relatively small portion of our overall expenditure. 'It is true to say that wider inflationary pressures are having an impact, however. While a third of our income comes from Track Access Charges, which are subject to inflation, the remainder is fixed for the control period and the increase in costs from our supply chain and across the board over the past year means there is increased pressure on funding and therefore the amount of work we can deliver.'
Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Telegraph
MoD civil servant to step down in wake of Afghan data leak
The Ministry of Defence's most senior civil servant is stepping down in the wake of the Afghan data breach. David Williams, the department's permanent secretary, is understood to be quitting in the autumn as part of a planned shake-up of the MoD senior leadership, The Telegraph understands. Mr Williams's departure comes amid ongoing fallout over the handling of a data leak that placed up to 100,000 Afghans at risk. A recruitment process for his successor is under way, an MoD spokesman confirmed. A career civil servant, Mr Williams worked in the MoD 's finance department before being seconded to the Department for Health and Social Care in 2020. He returned to the MoD as its permanent secretary in 2021. His successor will be appointed after Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, currently the head of the Royal Air Force, takes his post as Chief of the Defence Staff in September, it is understood. A new national armaments director – a senior civil servant in charge of defence procurement and infrastructure – is intended to be hired before the end of the year, although the recruitment process for that job has been ongoing since December. The MoD spokesman said: 'Permanent Secretary David Williams will step down this autumn, and the recruitment process for his successor is under way. Since 2021, David has led the department through a period of significant activity, and we thank him for his contribution.' A spreadsheet containing the details of 25,000 Afghans, including soldiers who fought alongside British special forces, together with family details, was accidentally leaked by a member of British special forces personnel in February 2022. As a result, 50,000 Afghan former soldiers and their family members were then brought to the UK at a cost of £7bn. When the MoD learnt of the breach more than a year later, it was granted a super-injunction to prevent the public from knowing the leaked spreadsheet – which also contained the details of more than 100 SAS soldiers and MI6 spies – was circulating online. Plans were made to add a total of 6,900 individuals to existing evacuation plans, taking place under the codename Operation Rubific. The super-injunction meant that media outlets subject to it, including The Telegraph, could not even mention the fact they had been gagged from reporting a matter of huge public interest. Parliamentary questions about the impact of the data breach and its resulting costs have so far shed limited light on how the MoD has sought to handle the multi-billion-pound fallout. Some £5mn has been spent over the last 11 months alone on flying Afghans from their home country to the UK, the MoD has confirmed. Lord Kempsell, the Tory peer, asked the Government how much it had spent on secretly moving Afghans caught up in the data breach to Britain. Lord Coaker, the Labour defence minister, said the average cost of flights per month has been £457,833.33. He said in his Parliamentary statement: 'The MoD has used both RAF and charter flights. Additionally, the International Organisation for Migration to resettle eligible Afghans has run charter flights. 'For reasons that are commercially and operationally sensitive, we cannot name the companies that organised the charter flights.'
