PRIVATE companies which teach swimming to more than 5000 children in Edinburgh are warning that using schools' pools to plug the gap left by the Royal Commonwealth Pool's (RCP) closure could force them out of business.
About 15 different companies currently use the city's school swimming pools to provide 80 hours of lessons per week. But when the RCP closes for refurbishment in July 2009 for a minimum of two years, the council will have to prioritise the use of sch
ool pools for pupils and Edinburgh Leisure's teaching provision.
Private swimming teachers have called on the council to give guarantees that they will be accommodated in the city's other pools if they lose the use of the school pools.
Gail Smith, managing director of SwimEasy, said: "We are small businesses and some of us would suffer greatly and even be put out of business because of this.
"Rather than agreeing that Edinburgh Leisure should get the use of the school pools, we are saying, can we work together and look to see if there's a solution so that we are not put out as a consequence?
"We believe everyone can be accommodated."
She added: "As an independent provider of lessons, we are the recognised experts at scheduling and programming which enables us to maximum use of pool space to run our lessons.
"With this in mind, I would be most happy to provide, free of charge, advice, recommendations and solutions for the re-allocation of lessons from the RCP which could accommodate all the children currently learning and being taught to swim there."
At a meeting of the education, children and families committee yesterday, education leader Marilyne MacLaren said the council would be doing "everything it can" to ensure that all swimming lessons could be accommodated in the city one way or another.
She said: "It is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle and we are trying to put all the pieces together."
Among those who will have to find alternative facilities during the £37 million RCP revamp are 42 school swimming classes.
Edinburgh Leisure is working with the council's children and families department to see how its 20 school pools will be able to help city swimmers by being available for use after school hours.
It has already identified two pools that it wants to use at Leith Academy and Braidburn Special School.
A spokesman for the city council said: "Edinburgh Leisure receives a grant of £8m a year from the council to manage city sports facilities – this means that they must be our priority.
"However, we believe the impact of this will be relatively low and we'll meet with the directors of these businesses to discuss it."
