Debates between Nicholas Dakin and Sam Rushworth during the 2024 Parliament

Public Baths and Lidos

Debate between Nicholas Dakin and Sam Rushworth
Wednesday 25th March 2026

(1 week ago)

Westminster Hall
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Nicholas Dakin Portrait The Vice-Chamberlain of His Majesty’s Household (Sir Nicholas Dakin)
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. I am pleased to respond to this lively and informative debate, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes) on securing it and such good attendance, too. I thank all hon. Members for their contributions; I think I have collected invitations to Peterborough, Carlisle, Worthing, Stockport, Matlock and the as-yet-to-be-built sea pool on the Isle of Wight.

Sam Rushworth Portrait Sam Rushworth
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I just want to extend the Minister’s invitation list: I invite him to see the lido that we want to reopen at Stanhope and to come to Crook, where the public baths closed 10 years ago. Will he write and let us know what opportunities there are for Sport England funding for that sort of project? At the moment, I am not promising it to my voters, although I am really committed to it. I am meeting with Crook Community Leisure and others and trying to make it happen, but I struggle to see a way to do it without Government support.

Nicholas Dakin Portrait Sir Nicholas Dakin
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My hon. Friend’s energy and willingness to work with Crook Community Leisure speaks for itself, but I will certainly take away that question and share it with the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock). She was meant to respond to the debate, but unfortunately, due to the change in the voting pattern, she needed to get the last train to Cornwall at 7 pm, so she sends her apologies to hon. Members. She is disappointed not to be here, as she was very excited to talk about lidos. She will be keen to read the debate and follow up with hon. Members on any questions that I fail to answer appropriately.

As we heard, it is an exciting time of year for the art deco Peterborough lido, which is a jewel in the crown of Peterborough. I understand that my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough will be one of the first to make a splash in the newly reopened lido.