Funding is being sought to make changes at Whitehaven’s swimming pool, which if carried out would bring its net carbon emissions down to nearly nothing.

Whitehaven’s swimming pool, on Cleator Moor Road, owned by Copeland Borough Council and operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), is described as a “priority” for the council’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

It currently accounts for 27 per cent of the emissions associated with the council’s properties, which was identified following a study in late 2019 funded by the Local Government Association.

The council now hopes to make use of a new Government funding scheme to finance works to reduce the carbon emissions of the swimming pool, submitting a bid for the Department for thePublic Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Copeland’s executive agreed to support the bid at their meeting yesterday, and executive member Andy Pratt explained that if the authority’s bid was successful, it would fund the installation of a ground source heat pump, as well as solar panels.

Mr Pratt added that if this was to be carried out, the pool could also be run at a much lower cost.

He said that this helped meet the council’s priorities on supporting health and leisure services in the borough.

“Health and leisure in the borough is a high priority, and will be going forward,” he said.