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Council's crisis talks over pool fiasco
Emergency talks were held yesterday over "absurd" and "unacceptable" staff shortages at Oxford's open-air swimming pool.
Bob Price, the leader-elect of the city council, met chief executive Peter Sloman after experiencing the problems first-hand, queuing for nearly an hour to swim at Hinksey Pool.
His experience mirrored that of hundreds of bathers forced to endure long waits because of a lack of lifeguards available to work at Oxford's six swimming pools for the past four days.
Yesterday, the Oxford Mail revealed that queues of more than 100 bathers built up at the pool on Sunday - the hottest day of the year so far - because management restricted numbers on safety grounds, due to a lack of staff.
Two other pools - at Peers Sports Centre and Blackbird Leys Swimming Pool - were closed so that staff could work at Hinksey.
But the council admitted there were still only four lifeguards out of a possible eight on duty at the pool until 2pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Council spokesman Chris Lee said the authority was trying to recruit 16 new lifeguards, including four who had been appointed, but were unable to start work until compulsory criminal record checks were completed.
He added that the council was trying to reduce its reliance on casual staff, reviewing the safe operating capacities for pools and reviewing staff terms and conditions to increase flexibility.
However, he said the council could not guarantee the problem would not be repeated.
Mr Price said: "It's absurd and unacceptable. I was there myself on Friday with my daughter and we had to wait for 50 minutes.
"People were very angry then, and it has carried on all weekend and today. It's unacceptable for managerial inefficiency to have caused so many problems for customers."
Mr Price, who will officially take over as council leader on Thursday, after the Labour Party became the biggest group on the council earlier this month, said he had been in contact with Mr Sloman every day since Saturday, in a bid to solve the staff shortage.
David Rundle, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said longstanding lifeguard shortages had been partly due to a recruitment freeze that was ordered because council officers did not know how many people were working for leisure services.
Tanya Tsikas, 45, from Iffley, who took her daughters Olya and Sofia to the pool on Sunday, said: "We were looking forward to a nice, long swim but it was cut short. The council knew it would be nice weather at the weekend. They should be able to get enough staff so it runs properly."
6:39am Tuesday 13th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Tax payer, Oxford on 7:17am Tue 13 May 08
Council officers did not know how many people were working for leisure services.
WHAT IN GODS NAME ARE WE PAYING THESE TOSSERS FOR
Council officers did not know how many people were working for leisure services.
WHAT IN GODS NAME ARE WE PAYING THESE TOSSERS FOR
Posted by: Miffy, Oxford on 7:51am Tue 13 May 08
And what about everyone who wanted to swim at Peers and Blackbird Leys??. I have an aqua slice card but doubt I'll get a refund for not being able to use it this weekend. How about I charge them for wasting my time?
And what about everyone who wanted to swim at Peers and Blackbird Leys??. I have an aqua slice card but doubt I'll get a refund for not being able to use it this weekend. How about I charge them for wasting my time?
Posted by: Andy on 8:04am Tue 13 May 08
When I questioned why we pay so much for Council Officers so much I was told by the Chief Excutive that we had to pay the going rate to get the right people in the jobs. Yep I can see what a fine job they are doing. All they are intrested in is lining their own back pockets with back handers and don't give a toss about tax payers. They are all scum,and should resign. If they were running a business thay would all be sacked by now.
When I questioned why we pay so much for Council Officers so much I was told by the Chief Excutive that we had to pay the going rate to get the right people in the jobs. Yep I can see what a fine job they are doing. All they are intrested in is lining their own back pockets with back handers and don't give a toss about tax payers. They are all scum,and should resign. If they were running a business thay would all be sacked by now.
Posted by: Jongo, Oxon on 8:16am Tue 13 May 08
Old saying 'You pay peanuts and get monkeys.'
New Saying 'You pay wads and get dinasaurs'.
Sums up Oxford City Council really its run by old fossils.
Old saying 'You pay peanuts and get monkeys.'
New Saying 'You pay wads and get dinasaurs'.
Sums up Oxford City Council really its run by old fossils.
Posted by: cashcow, oxford on 9:04am Tue 13 May 08
Can we expect the usual Council strategy here ?
Lets increase prices to say £25 per head, £20 for children - then no one will use the facilty and it can be closed down and save money - brilliant - what do you think??
Can we expect the usual Council strategy here ?
Lets increase prices to say £25 per head, £20 for children - then no one will use the facilty and it can be closed down and save money - brilliant - what do you think??
Posted by: K, Oxford on 10:23am Tue 13 May 08
[quote][bold]cashcow[/bold] wrote:
Can we expect the usual Council strategy here ?
Lets increase prices to say £25 per head, £20 for children - then no one will use the facilty and it can be closed down and save money - brilliant - what do you think??[/quote] They plan to only open the pool on alternate weeks to save money. If you go there on the wrong week there's just an empty pool with Jean Fooks in the middle, saying this is shower week to "save the environment" so go home.
The council will pronounce it a success because no-one would ever queue to see Fooks, thereby halving the queues everyone was complaining about. They'd better make sure they have a lifeguard on duty for Fooks, though.
cashcow wrote:
Can we expect the usual Council strategy here ?
Lets increase prices to say £25 per head, £20 for children - then no one will use the facilty and it can be closed down and save money - brilliant - what do you think??
They plan to only open the pool on alternate weeks to save money. If you go there on the wrong week there's just an empty pool with Jean Fooks in the middle, saying this is shower week to "save the environment" so go home.
The council will pronounce it a success because no-one would ever queue to see Fooks, thereby halving the queues everyone was complaining about. They'd better make sure they have a lifeguard on duty for Fooks, though.
Posted by: Bob Howse, Ferry Centre on 10:42am Tue 13 May 08
you stupid ####s-you stood there queuing for nothing-when you could have gone to the Ferry Pool-which is so well air-conditioned anyway.
you stupid ####s-you stood there queuing for nothing-when you could have gone to the Ferry Pool-which is so well air-conditioned anyway.
Posted by: beeball on 11:03am Tue 13 May 08
lifeguards need an incentive to work and i've never heard of a well paid lifeguard!!!!Pay more and they may want to work.
lifeguards need an incentive to work and i've never heard of a well paid lifeguard!!!!Pay more and they may want to work.
Posted by: Mr Ison, England on 11:41am Tue 13 May 08
Here is a question.
There are two ATM's and both are in use.
Do you?
A:Pick one and stand inline,thus forming two short Queues.
B:Stand between the Queues,thus forming one long line.
And another
Can you identify the year you first saw B?
Here is a question.
There are two ATM's and both are in use.
Do you?
A:Pick one and stand inline,thus forming two short Queues.
B:Stand between the Queues,thus forming one long line.
And another
Can you identify the year you first saw B?
Posted by: Mr Ison, England on 11:55am Tue 13 May 08
And another.
You are a fireman and the statin has two poles,in the event of a fire do you.
A:Form two lines.
B:Form one long Queue.
And another.
You are a fireman and the statin has two poles,in the event of a fire do you.
A:Form two lines.
B:Form one long Queue.
Posted by: Mr Ison, England on 12:01pm Tue 13 May 08
This time you are grocery shopping.
Do you?
A:Join a Queue at any one of the checkouts.
B:Form one single Queue for all checkouts.
Next you are a Celebrity of some kind and the Venue has one entrance,do you?
A:Move to the fore and tell the bouncer to check the list.
B:Join the back of the Queue.
This time you are grocery shopping.
Do you?
A:Join a Queue at any one of the checkouts.
B:Form one single Queue for all checkouts.
Next you are a Celebrity of some kind and the Venue has one entrance,do you?
A:Move to the fore and tell the bouncer to check the list.
B:Join the back of the Queue.
Posted by: Mr Ison, England on 12:09pm Tue 13 May 08
You are in the burning building and it has several emergency exits,dou you?
A:Leave via the nearest.
B:Form a Queue at one only.
You are in the burning building and it has several emergency exits,dou you?
A:Leave via the nearest.
B:Form a Queue at one only.
Posted by: david cameron-young, abingdon on 1:24pm Tue 13 May 08
mr ison, you are starting to get boring, but i see your point. the pool should never have been opened until the correct number of lifeguards were available. the 'manager' at the pool must have known how many should have been on duty, long before opening time, and alerted higher 'management' of the problem. they surely have rosters in place so it is a very basic thing to check these rosters, and if someone hasn't turned up for work 15mins before opening time, RING THEM UP to find out where they are. paying a decent rate for the job would help. lifeguards are well trained, and undergo many updates to their training, so should be paid accordingly.
mr ison, you are starting to get boring, but i see your point. the pool should never have been opened until the correct number of lifeguards were available. the 'manager' at the pool must have known how many should have been on duty, long before opening time, and alerted higher 'management' of the problem. they surely have rosters in place so it is a very basic thing to check these rosters, and if someone hasn't turned up for work 15mins before opening time, RING THEM UP to find out where they are. paying a decent rate for the job would help. lifeguards are well trained, and undergo many updates to their training, so should be paid accordingly.
Posted by: Andy on 2:18pm Tue 13 May 08
Mr Ison..you really are a thicko. you can not compare the two. One is an inside pool, NO SUN, NO SUN BATHING, the other is out in the open IN THE SUN!
Chance to Sunbathe.
Lets compare Mr Ison thick as a two year old, or an 18 month baby, no difference.
Mr Ison..you really are a thicko. you can not compare the two. One is an inside pool, NO SUN, NO SUN BATHING, the other is out in the open IN THE SUN!
Chance to Sunbathe.
Lets compare Mr Ison thick as a two year old, or an 18 month baby, no difference.
Posted by: Jongo, Oxon on 2:32pm Tue 13 May 08
Ison is a pea brained creature, in fact a dinasaur( that is probably a dis-service to dinasaurs!!!!!).
Ison is a pea brained creature, in fact a dinasaur( that is probably a dis-service to dinasaurs!!!!!).
Posted by: fed up council tax payer, 092-656 on 2:35pm Tue 13 May 08
if the council privatise all leisure services think how much it would save the local taxpayer it's about time we stopped forking out huge amount to keep this heated OPEN-AIR pool in house
if the council privatise all leisure services think how much it would save the local taxpayer it's about time we stopped forking out huge amount to keep this heated OPEN-AIR pool in house
Posted by: Hinksey Guy, Oxford on 5:15pm Tue 13 May 08
Privatise subsidised public leisure facilities? It costs the tax payer a few quid each to run leisure facilities. The council has been cutting costs for the last year (and before) but Sloman PROMISED this would not effect service delivery. There also seems an agenda to make the current provision seem inadequate in order to push through a "leisure trust". Trust management will be akin to painting over a rusty car.
The problem with council leisure management is not that the pool managers or pool staff don't know what they are doing, but the council LEADERS don't know what it takes to run a facility. They have saved costs by having insufficient staff, but then wonder why this effects the service. EVERYONE within leisure was telling them but there's only an emergency meeting when the s**t hits the fan on a sunny day at Hinksey. This is nothing whatsoever to do with the competance of the current management of Hinksey or other sites.
In reply to comment from 1.24pm, thre are of course rosters, but when there are 8 lifeguards needed and you've only got 4 in total because council leaders stopped recruitment, what can they do?
Privatise subsidised public leisure facilities? It costs the tax payer a few quid each to run leisure facilities. The council has been cutting costs for the last year (and before) but Sloman PROMISED this would not effect service delivery. There also seems an agenda to make the current provision seem inadequate in order to push through a "leisure trust". Trust management will be akin to painting over a rusty car.
The problem with council leisure management is not that the pool managers or pool staff don't know what they are doing, but the council LEADERS don't know what it takes to run a facility. They have saved costs by having insufficient staff, but then wonder why this effects the service. EVERYONE within leisure was telling them but there's only an emergency meeting when the s**t hits the fan on a sunny day at Hinksey. This is nothing whatsoever to do with the competance of the current management of Hinksey or other sites.
In reply to comment from 1.24pm, thre are of course rosters, but when there are 8 lifeguards needed and you've only got 4 in total because council leaders stopped recruitment, what can they do?
Posted by: also fed up, oxford on 5:18pm Tue 13 May 08
Why is the Council "trying to reduce its reliance on casual employees"? Casual employees are the ones who fill in for permanent employees covering sickness and holidays. The larger the pool of casual employees, the smaller the risk of being understaffed at any time. Casual employees cost the same as permanent staff to train, but there the expense stops. They work as and when required, and are paid only when they do work. This is piggy bank economics, not rocket science!
Why is the Council "trying to reduce its reliance on casual employees"? Casual employees are the ones who fill in for permanent employees covering sickness and holidays. The larger the pool of casual employees, the smaller the risk of being understaffed at any time. Casual employees cost the same as permanent staff to train, but there the expense stops. They work as and when required, and are paid only when they do work. This is piggy bank economics, not rocket science!
Posted by: Ha, oxford on 11:19am Wed 14 May 08
'also fed up', you took the words out of my mouth! The fact is the council don't have enough casual staff and those who are casual often have other jobs to go to so when they're called on to fill for sick full-timers, they may have already made a commitment to work elsewhere. It would be silly to not open the pool til enough staff have turned up - this would mean no-one getting a swim and queues four times as long. The council should have more casual staff than they need to cover these sorts of cases, the casuals aren't going to get the hump if they're not called to work and those who don't work don't get paid - and they don't get sick pay either. the council are idotic and archaic and, as a previous commenter said, if this were a private business the higher management would have been given the push a long time ago. They just never learn
'also fed up', you took the words out of my mouth! The fact is the council don't have enough casual staff and those who are casual often have other jobs to go to so when they're called on to fill for sick full-timers, they may have already made a commitment to work elsewhere. It would be silly to not open the pool til enough staff have turned up - this would mean no-one getting a swim and queues four times as long. The council should have more casual staff than they need to cover these sorts of cases, the casuals aren't going to get the hump if they're not called to work and those who don't work don't get paid - and they don't get sick pay either. the council are idotic and archaic and, as a previous commenter said, if this were a private business the higher management would have been given the push a long time ago. They just never learn
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