Dublin City Council's temporary reprieve for Seán MacDermott St Swimming Pool

Mary Lou McDonald with young swimming pool users

AFTER a meeting with Sinn Féin on Thursday evening, Dublin City Council bosses confirmed that Seán MacDermott Street Swimming Pool will be kept open for the remainder of the year. But they have refused to guarantee the pool’s future for the longer term.

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald has criticised Labour, Fine Gael and Independent councillors who supported the city budget responsible for creating so much uncertainty about the pool’s future.

“We were particularly disappointed that Independent and Labour councillors supported such an inequitable budget,” Mary Lou said.

“Targeting inner city areas for cuts in critical service provisions simply does not make sense on any level. Yet this is exactly what Labour has done by supporting this year’s budget.

“Shutting down sporting outlets for kids and adults in deprived areas is just crazy and it is hard to understand how a party of the Left can rationalise this kind of decision.”

She added:

“I urge Labour councillors to reflect on the impact of the budget on inner city communities and to ensure that they do not vote again in favour of a budget that impacts so negatively on inner city communities by penny pinching.”

ENDS