Idea to bring back Ashton baths sparks fiery debate

The council will look into the possibility of getting a new swimming pool for Ashton as part of the town centre redevelopment.

The latest town hall meeting saw a motion to push for the return of a swimming facility just three years after the closure of Active Ashton – but there are no guarantees. 

The former Active Ashton facility off Water Street was finally bulldozed last year – at a cost of just under £1m. A petition signed by 7,000 to stop the demolition fell on deaf ears following the shut down of the baths in September 2023.  

This was part of a wider set of closures that saw the Tameside borough lose Active Ashton’s two swimming pools and gym; Adventure Longdendale’s trampoline park, laser zone and soft play area for children; and Active Etherow’s dedicated indoor bowling centre. 

The closest public swimming facilities for residents in Ashton are Tameside Wellness Centre in Denton and Hyde Leisure Pool. Neither leisure centre is within reasonable walking distance from Ashton. 

Coun Kaleel Khan, deputy leader for the newly formed Tameside Independent Group, has been pushing to get Ashton back what it lost. He fielded a motion to the full council in Dukinfield Town Hall on March 2, which wanted the council to commit to getting a new leisure centre with a range of facilities.  

These facilities included a swimming pool; learner pool; 50-station gym; exercise studios; spa and wellness area; and much more.  

Coun Khan said: “The council talks a lot about living well, but how can Ashton live well when our town centre has no swimming pool or leisure offer. This motion is about bringing back an affordable swimming and leisure offer in Ashton. 

“By affordable, it must be open to everyone regardless of income, not just people who can afford private options. This is about fairness and helping people live healthier and more active lives.” 

Although all councillors in the room agreed that the swimming pool should never have been closed, no commitment was made to build a new leisure centre on the site of the old bus station – as Coun Khan suggested. 

The matter sparked a lively debate in the chamber, with the main argument being over who was responsible for the old swimming baths being knocked down. Deputy council leader Andrew McLaren pointed the finger of blame in the direction of former council leader Ged Cooney, who is now heading up the Tameside Independent Group. 

Active Tameside, who ran the leisure facilities in the borough, said previously that the huge increase in energy bills took the cost of utilities at its sites up to £2m per year. As the building’s owner, Tameside council bosses insisted the state of their finances meant they could not afford to pick up the bill and rescue the sites – ultimately leading to the closure and the subsequent demolition of the sites. 

Coun McLaren said: “You say ‘you shouldn’t have ripped it down without a plan’, which I agree with. But the motion never mentions the previous leader, it never mentions him once. 

“If you really want to find out why Ashton has no pool and why there is no plan, ask the person sat next to you (Coun Cooney). My leader has a plan and a record of delivery, which we’ve sat here for five hours and listened to.” 

Coun Cooney clapped back at these claims saying all councillors at the time voted to close down the pool, which includes the current leader Coun Eleanor Wills and Coun McLaren. He added that Active Tameside – who operate leisure facilities in the borough – was in dire straits and may have needed to close all of their leisure facilities if the council didn’t step in to help.  

A majority vote saw Coun McLaren’s amendment to the motion approved. The changes made essentially watered down the original motion and did not commit to building a new pool. 

Council bosses in the room did outline how they intend to look into a new pool as part of the wider redevelopment of Ashton town centre and the planned leisure offer that comes with it. Coun McLaren essentially told the chamber that they can’t just suddenly commit to building a new leisure centre overnight without proper planning or consultation.