DIPPING into a different account has enabled South Lakeland District Council to make a U-turn on funding for a new swimming pool at Grange-over-Sands.

The £120,000 grant is party of a £1.5million spending package that has been backed by the council's leaders and is now awaiting full council approval.

SLDC has considered about 90 capital funding requests, and Cabinet members have now agreed a short list of 'more pressing bids', to be presented to full council next month.

Among the favoured schemes, deemed 'urgent', was a plea for £120,000 towards the costs of Grange-over-Sands' new indoor pool, put forward by the Cartmel Peninsular Recreational Trust.

A trustee, Carole Taylor, was cautious about welcoming news that it had been supported until the bid had been formally approved, but said: "We are absolutely delighted that they have approved it at this stage.

I don't want to jump the gun as we have worked very hard on this."

Earlier this year, the Trust made a bid for £ 30,000 annually for six years to help with the pool's initial maintenance costs from SLDC' revenue funds, which are for day-to-day running expenses.

Revenue funds - from sources such as business rates, council tax and car park income - were hit last year, and the request was turned down in January because of SLDC's budget shortfall.

Jack Jones explained the council had been looking at revenue cutbacks, rather than spending extra money.

However, it was felt the council could now help by offering a lump sum grant of £120,000 from its capital resources towards the pool's building costs.

The successful bids will be supported in the council's first phase of capital resource allocation, which will cover two financial years.

Mr Jones said that remaining bids would go into phase two for consideration over the next four to five years.

Other bids recommended for approval this week include:

l £100,000 for improvements to district council housing estates

l £70,000 for land drainage at Parkfield, Swarthmoor

l £25,000 on security system improve-ments at Kendal's South Lakeland House

l £50,000 upgrade to the toilet block at Braithwaite Fold, Bowness, and another £25,000 on pitch improvements

l £20,000 to Cumbria RAZ Rural Action Zone for district-wide rights of way, cycling and greenways initiatives.

The council also intends to set aside £300,000 in the capital programme for 2003/4 as a 'buffer' in the event of additional costs for the Stockbeck land drainage scheme.