The opposition Labour group on Hull City Council has proposed a series of measures to improve access to water safety education and swimming lessons for children
People using the East Park lido back in the 1970s – it was demolished in 1998(Image: Hull Daily Mail)
The idea of restoring a lido facility in East Park, Hull, is to be put forward by Labour opposition councillors. At full council on Thursday, June 18, Labour will call for a number of measures to help stop preventable open-water deaths.
They are largely focused on water safety education and swimming lessons for children. But it also includes a call to speed up the reopening of Ennerdale Leisure Centre and explore the feasibility of bringing back a lido to East Park.
“As local councillors we have a duty to do our best to provide safe swimming facilities and adequate education to our young people,” said Cllr Jessica Smith (Labour – Southcoates Ward), who has proposed the motion. The water safety calls follow the news that 19 people died across the UK in open-water deaths during the late May heatwave.
Cllr Smith’s motion expresses support for the ‘Don’t Become a Memory’ campaign, a major UK water safety campaign backed by Olympic gold-medallist swimmer Tom Dean. The campaign has chosen Hull as one of its initial delivery areas this year, and has been backed locally by Hull Live.
Read More: ‘Don’t become a memory’: Why Hull Live is supporting a major UK water safety campaign this summer
The Labour proposal argues for the creation of a cross-party working group to explore several elements concerning water safety awareness and swimming facilities. These include a potential East Park lido, and ensuring how all Hull primary school children can be given free weekly access to city leisure centres for swimming lessons during school holidays.
East Park had a lido until 1998, when it was demolished. “As local councillors we have a duty to do our best to provide safe swimming facilities and adequate education to our young people,” said Cllr Smith.
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“In a city surrounded by water and home to many lakes, drains and other bodies of water, this is a crucial issue for our communities this summer.” Cllr George Grozav (Labour – Derringham) is seconding the proposal. “Every death in open water is a tragedy, and far too many of these incidents involve children and young people.”
He added he was pleased to support the Don’t Become a Memory campaign. “Education and prevention can save lives, and by working together we can help reduce the risk of further tragedies in our communities.”
In its call to explore getting a lido again in East Park, Labour’s motion references the Albert Avenue lido as a “great success”. This has been open since 2023.
The issue of open-water deaths was debated in Parliament last week, with Lee Pitcher (Labour – Doncaster East and Isle of Axholme) urging a national water safety awareness campaign by the Government before the Summer holidays. Emma Hardy (Labour – Hull West and Haltemprice) responded as the junior minister for water and flooding, and said recent fatalities underlined the issue’s urgency.
The Daily Mirror has also launched a campaign, Save Lives for Sam, calling for action to stop preventable open water deaths. Labour’s water safety and East Park lido call is one of five motions due to be debated at Hull’s full council meeting. Another Labour motion calls for greater council focus on young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs).
The Liberal Democrats have proposals on devolution and small business rates. The devolution motion includes a call for the council leader to write to Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell (Reform UK), to request a statement of priorities over the next 12 months and expected outcomes.
Independent Cllr Hester Bridges (Southcoates) has proposed the council backs public ownership of water companies and pushes Yorkshire Water for clear local data on sewage discharges and planned infrastructure investments.
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