Fylde Council is committed to supporting swimming provision across the borough. This page provides information about where you can swim now and updates on our work to secure the future of swimming facilities in Fylde.
Latest Update – December 2025
Places Leisure has been appointed as Fylde Council’s preferred operator to operate St Annes Swimming Pool from 1 April 2026. Places Leisure is part of Places for People Group, one of the UK’s leading leisure operators.
The YMCA will continue to operate the pool until 31 March 2026, ensuring uninterrupted service during the transition. Current membership arrangements, swimming lessons, and classes will continue as normal throughout this period.
Places Leisure is committed to working closely with the YMCA to ensure a smooth transition when they take over operations in April 2026.
Final contract details, including whether Kirkham Pool will be refurbished and reopened will be confirmed by the end of January 2026 following approval at Full Council.
Decisions at Full Council in January 2026 will confirm the long-term arrangements for swimming provision in Fylde, including investment at St Annes and the future of Kirkham Pool.
For membership enquiries or information about current services, please contact the YMCA directly.
Find Out More About Each Facility
For detailed information about each swimming facility, including current operations, timeline updates, and future plans, please select below.
Where Can I swim in Fylde?
Swimming facilities currently available in Fylde include:
Public Swimming Pool
Hotel Leisure Facilities
- Dalmeny Hotel and Leisure
- Ribby Hall Village
- St Ives Hotel
- The Grand Hotel
- Clifton Park Hotel – membership and over 21s only
Hotel leisure facilities are privately operated and access arrangements vary. Please contact each venue directly for details.
Council’s Commitment to Swimming
In October 2023, Full Council passed a Notice of Motion recognising the importance of swimming provision to our communities. The council resolved that:
“In the corporate and local plan this Council seeks to maintain or encourage public swim provision. I propose that this Council, as a matter of urgency, supports that position and in light of the recent announcement by the YMCA to permanently close Kirkham Baths looks at all practicable options to work with partners and stakeholders to support that provision, and such options to be considered by the External Scrutiny Committee.”
Since then, Fylde Council has taken significant steps to support continued swimming provision, including:
- Financial support – Additional subsidies to maintain St Annes Pool operations
- Securing grant funding – Successful applications to Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund for energy efficiency improvements
- Community consultation – Commissioning Active Lancashire to undertake a borough-wide consultation on sport and leisure provision
- Feasibility studies – Funding design concept appraisals for potential Kirkham Pool restoration
- Acquiring Kirkham Pool – Regaining ownership of the facility in June 2025 to preserve it and explore restoration options
- Procurement process – Running a competitive tender to secure high-quality leisure management for the borough’s swimming facilities
FAQs
No organisation has a statutory duty to provide public swimming. However, several organisations play important roles:
Swim England
Swim England is responsible for developing the sport of swimming and encouraging participation in aquatic activities at all levels, including recreational swimming and health and wellbeing programmes. More information here
Fylde Council
Although the council has no statutory duty to provide public swimming, it actively supports swimming provision in Fylde. The council owns St Annes Pool and currently supports and subsidises public access under the current operating arrangement.
The council is also planning considerable investment to secure and enhance access to swimming provision in the long term.
Schools
All local authority-maintained schools must provide swimming instruction either in key stage 1 or key stage 2. Pupils should be taught to:
- Swim competently, confidently, and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
- Use a range of strokes effectively (e.g., front crawl, backstroke, and breaststroke)
- Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations
More information about the national curriculum requirements
The Fylde Corporate Plan 2024 – 2028 includes a commitment to provide high quality parks, open spaces and leisure facilities. The strategy is to facilitate and support public swimming but not to directly operate facilities, as the council does not have the necessary resource to do this.
A new Leisure Strategy is currently being finalised to set out the long-term future for sport, physical activity and active environments across Fylde.
The strategy is being shaped by extensive community consultation, ensuring it reflects local needs, behaviours and priorities, and is grounded in the latest national guidance issued by the UK’s Chief Medical Officers on physical activity and health.
This evidence base, alongside Sport England’s Strategic Outcomes Framework and wider regional policy direction, provides a clear rationale for promoting movement, improving wellbeing and reducing inequalities.
The Strategy will therefore act as a framework for coordinated action by the Council and its partners, guiding investment, programming and facility development to support a more active Fylde.
Last updated December 2025
