CONSULTANTS are being recruited to help managers of a community swimming pool tackle a cash flow crisis.

Settle Swimming Pool is calling on experts to help them find new revenue sources at the 40-year-old pool.

Pool chairman Trevor Graveson said: "We recognise that if we are to keep going, we must look for different ways of raising money, and we are in the process of developing a business plan that involves appointing consultants."

Revenue problems have reached a crucial stage this year in the wake of Craven District Council (CDC) removing a £16,000 grant after it scrapped its community grant scheme as part of steps to combat its own economic squeeze.

The pool is self-financing and lighting and heating the building costs £50,000, while maintenance costs are also rising. It is a registered charity and there is an active Friends of Settle Pool group.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale Parish Council is urging CDC to change its mind regarding the grants scheme.

Clerk Jill Orsborn said: "More than 300 children currently receive swimming lessons, ten primary schools use the facility to fulfil their obligation to provide swimming instruction as part of the national curriculum, and it is increasingly being used for GP-referred hydrotherapy sessions.

"If the pool was to close due to lack of revenue funding, the nearest facility would be Craven Swimming Pool in Skipton, a 46-mile round trip for people living in Horton.

"Settle Pool delivers a vital, value-for-money service that benefits the health and well-being of the community."

A CDC spokesman said after many years of supporting the pool, the council had to change the way it worked because of severe cuts to its funding.

The spokesman added: "We knew community groups would find it very difficult if we simply stopped our funding, and so members agreed to adopt a staggered approach. They agreed to continue with our core funding for an additional two years to give organisations plenty of time to make plans for when the funding ended.

“It was made very clear to organisations receiving the funding that this would end after 2015/16. We did, however, give a commitment to support the organisations, including Settle Pool, to ensure their sustainability once the funding came to an end.

"Council officers have been working with Settle Pool to advise and secure its sustainability in the future during the past 18 months. This has included support from the manager of Craven Pool to make the facility as energy-efficient as possible in order to bring down the running costs. We have also given a commitment we will work with them to help them access partnership funding.

“While the core funding will cease at the end of this financial year, the support we can give will not."