A Community Trust may be set up to run York's threatened Yearsley Pool, the city's leisure chief revealed today.

The Parrott family, who want to help save theYearsley pool from closure. Left to right are Tracy, Suzannah, Emma and David

But prospects remain gloomy for the Barbican Pool, which needs a £3.4 million refurbishment to bring it up to modern standards.

Explaining the thinking behind a massive revamp of York's public leisure services, Coun Bob Scrase, chairman of Leisure Services, said the exercise was about finding what services people wanted, where they wanted them, and how best to provide them.

He said the exercise, which affects all areas of Leisure Services including museums, libraries and youth clubs, was not about budget cuts, though he conceded that his budget was getting tighter every year.

Acting head of leisure services Charlie Croft, has already said that one possibility being considered is the closure of the Barbican pool and the one at Yearsley, which needs at least £250,000 spending on it.

This revelation has led to public protests by swimmers who use both pools and has prompted hundreds of readers to support the Evening Press Save our Swim campaign.

Coun Scrase today outlined options for the service in general, which may involve setting up a new York Leisure Office which would be a small commissioning body rather than a major department actually running the services.

The options will be presented to the council's policy and resources committee next month.

But Coun Scrase said one option was setting up a community trust with local volunteer involvement to run Yearsley Pool, a similar arrangement to one already running at Tadcaster Pool.

"From the lobbying that's taken place so far it is very clear that Yearsley is more keenly supported," said Coun Scrase.

He added that the best value exercise they were doing was about providing a range of services, and the 50-yard long Yearsley Pool was larger than any other in the city.

Coun Scrase said the Barbican Pool not only needed most spending on it but also had suffered the most in a 150,000 reduction in swims at York's three main public pools in the last five years.

The council's head of purchasing and resources in Leisure Services, Dave Meigh, said they were still considering building a new pool at a local school, but that would depend on another body coming up with the necessary cash.

He said there were no plans to close any branch libraries, but they may be moved to other locations where they could stay open longer, such as post offices or supermarkets. Youth Services may also be restructured to make better use of resources.

Coun Scrase said: "We must concentrate on what people want and need rather than just delivering the services that we have always provided."

Meanwhile, a five-year-old made her feelings clear about the possible closure of Yearsley baths - by doing ten lengths of the pool.

Suzannah Parrot, from Farndale Avenue, Osbaldwick, decided to make a statement about her feelings by doing the thing she loves best - swimming.

Suzannah has been swimming there since she was two years old and goes to Yearsley baths at least twice a week.

Her father, David, said: "I think it's scandalous.

When I told her it was going to be shutting, she asked me when it was going to be open again.When I told her 'never', she said 'they can't do that.'"

Meanwhile, the Evening Press has been flooded with calls, e-mails and letters from readers backing the campaign to save the Barbican and Yearsley baths from the spectre of closure.

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