‘Tain needs a swimming pool and a public leisure centre’
THE prospect of an Easter Ross town being left without a swimming pool is unacceptable with the cost of a solution a drop in the ocean compared to what has been wasted by the Scottish Government.
So says area MP Jamie Stone who is calling for investment to secure the future of at-risk leisure facilities in his hometown of Tain.
Tain and Easter Ross councillor Laura Dundas last week urged locals to have their say on the future of TRACC (Tain Royal Academy Community Complex) which some fear could be threatened with closure.
Stone, MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, has now written to Minister for Sport and local MSP Maree Todd to urge her to protect local swimming facilities and advocate for greater investment to protect them from closure.
In Tain, the only local swimming pool is at risk of closure in light of a Highland Council review of the future of Tain Royal Academy Community Complex amidst plans for a new campus.
In the letter to the Scottish Government’s Sport Minister, Stone outlined that at a recent stakeholder meeting the council advised that there is no funding in place to replace the pool and called for the government to find the money to support these projects.
He reasons that local swimming pools serve many purposes as places for leisure, recreation, rehabilitation and a place to teach children how to swim. He says that as a nation, Scotland’s drowning statistics are more than double the UK rate per head of population - making the latter entirely crucial.
According to Scottish Swimming, there are 295 public swimming pool venues in Scotland, with 122 pools over 38 years old. With the average lifespan of a pool being 38 years old, Scotland could have a net loss of over 150 pools by 2040.
Stone said: “The Highlands, with its unpredictable weather and vast rural stretches, relies on local indoor pools to provide year-round access to swimming.
“While our natural lochs, rivers, and beaches offer stunning wild swimming experiences, indoor facilities remain essential for structured lessons, rehabilitation for injuries, and inclusive activities for those who cannot access or are not comfortable in open water.
“Teaching our children to swim is a duty of care - especially in a region surrounded by water.
“That is why I have written to the Scottish Government demanding investment into local facilities to prevent the loss of swimming pools across the Highlands. This really is a matter of life and death.”
The letter states: “My constituents are particularly concerned that the local authority's position is that Tain will be without leisure facilities for at least a year, but the issue is greater than that.
“Almost everyone who has raised this with me is concerned that this could be the end of public swimming in Tain. At a recent stakeholder meeting and again at Thursday's public consultations event in Tain, the council advised that there is no funding in place for even the most basic project—revamping the current pool as a standalone facility—at £4,000,000—to keep it going for a few more years.
“The best offer on the table is to build a new facility that will serve future generations of Highland children, while working to keep the current pool open (after a one-year hiatus to separate the pool from the current school building). The cost of this is estimated at £15,000,000, but there is no funding in place, and in this light, the consultation feels less like genuine engagement and more like a box-ticking exercise to manage public backlash.
“Without a funding package, things look grave for the people of Tain and the surrounding area who depend on this pool for physical health, training, or simply learning to swim. The nearby pools at Invergordon, Alness, and Golspie are already stretched to capacity, and users have been advised that they cannot meet the demand if the Tain pool closes.
“You may already know that Scotland's drowning statistics remain among the worst in the UK. Teaching our children to swim is not a luxury; it saves lives, a critical issue in the Highlands where bodies of water surround every community.
“Yet this SNP Government has consistently underfunded public sporting infrastructure in the Highlands for over a decade, and the results are beginning to show. We're told there's no money for a pool in Tain, but we've watched millions wasted on failed national projects, botched ferry contracts, and mismanaged health board finances.
“TRACC has quietly, day after day, played a vital role in public health in the north. Its loss will be felt far beyond its doors. The Highlands face unique challenges—geographical, financial, and demographic. Yet year after year, our facilities receive less than their fair share. Tain needs a swimming pool and a public leisure centre. The Scottish Government must find the money to support these projects, and I am calling on you to support them in your role as Minister for Sport.”
The consultation document can be found at https://www.highland.gov.uk/tracc
Commenting in her capacity as MSP for Caithness, Sutherland & Ross, Maree Todd said: “I understand that the potential closure of TRACC is causing real concern and anxiety within the community. I fully recognise how important it is for people to have access to local leisure and sports facilities, which play a vital role in supporting our communities’ physical, mental, and social wellbeing.
“I have written to Derek Brown, chief executive of Highland Council, to express these concerns— particularly around the impact on community wellbeing and the consultation process, which I know many of my constituents felt was inadequate.
"I am committed to working constructively with all parties to find a resolution that reflects the needs of the community and ensures continued access to local facilities."
