Free swimming for all in Putney by 2012

I welcome the Government's announcement today to make swimming free at all local authority swimming pools - like Putney Leisure Centre in Dryburgh Road - by the 2012 Olympics.

Just as in 1997 when Labour abolished charges to national museums, this initiative - first making swimming free for pensioners and under-16s, but eventually free for all, is a recreational milestone. Free access to pensioners and under-16s will commence next year.


Britain's swimmers are really starting to compete internationally and great things are expected of our acquatic team at this Summer's Olympic Games. I hope that Olympic success will generate even more interest in swimming because not only is it a great way to keep fit, it's also great fun and it puts your body through far less wear and tear than most other sports.

Almost £250 million has been invested in swimming since 1997 to rebuild and renew our crumbling swimming pools that were starved of cash in the Tory years. We still don't have enough Olympic sized, 50metre pools in the country, but we've now got a network of smaller, well-maintained, safe and enjoyable swimming pools around the capital and the country.

And soon we'll have free entry to these pools as well -dur to Labour's commitment to sport, to equal access and to an Olympic legacy for 2012.