Royston’s smallest swimmers could soon splash in a new learner pool, according to North Herts Council finance chiefs.

Councillor Ian Albert (Labour, Hitchin Bearton) has confirmed the authority is looking at the case for building a small pool at the town’s leisure centre.

It is one of several leisure schemes across Royston, Letchworth and Hitchin which could feature in the medium-term council budgets later this winter.

Royston Crow: Cllr Ian AlbertCllr Ian Albert (Image: North Herts Council)

"There is a potential that there could be a viable business case for the development at a learner pool at Royston," Cllr Albert, executive member for finance, said at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, January 17.

"It’s welcome news.

"There is work to do to review the capital cost, the impact on income and the result in terms of an overall business case.

"We will therefore add in a capital allocation."

Early work on the scheme would be offset against the day-to-day services – known as “revenue” – budget.

If North Herts Council funds the build, Everyone Active – the brand chosen to run the authority’s pools from April – could up the amount it pays into council coffers.

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A Royston Leisure Centre extension is already listed among the investments at £1million in 2024/25, which would include "an extension at the front of Royston Leisure Centre, providing additional gym space and a new multifunctional room".

Boiler replacements at Royston, North Herts Leisure Centre in Letchworth and Hitchin Swimming Centre are due to cost £500,000 by 2028, with extra money due to be set aside for other refurbishments including a new pool flume in Letchworth.

Cllr Albert confirmed the authority has applied for Westminster cash through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which could go towards more efficient boilers and solar panels.

He said: "The position will hopefully be better than a net nil financial impact as the boilers will need replacing anyway and the financial value of the energy savings will increase over time, with inflation."

Royston Crow: Cllr Steve JarvisCllr Steve Jarvis (Image: North Herts Council)

Cllr Steve Jarvis (Lib Dem, Weston and Sandon), who is responsible for leisure in North Herts, said central government money could "provide us with a significant amount of funding that will enable us to decarbonise those facilities at a cost which will be recovered by the savings in energy costs – and probably more than recovered".

He said the learner pool plan "falls into a similar category".

Cllr Jarvis added: "It would clearly be unfortunate if we didn’t make those provisions and then discovered we had missed an opportunity either to decarbonise these buildings or to provide an extra facility – both of which are likely to be at no net cost to the council, although we don’t know that yet."