NEWS

MEDIA RELEASE – ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE HMPA, KLPA & MPA

13 March 2020 – for immediate release

Pond swimmers say the City of London’s suggestion that the future sustainability of the Hampstead Heath bathing ponds is secure following their detailed review and close engagement with swimmers is a travesty. They suggest that Hampstead Heath, which is run as a charity, is failing in its mission to be physically and financially accessible by pricing people out of swimming in an attempt to monetize the popularity of ‘wild’ swimming.

Since January the swimming associations and user groups on Hampstead Heath have engaged with the City of London in consultation over the management of the swimming ponds. The process was supposedly initiated in response to Health & Safety Executive advice following the death of a swimmer in 2019, but swimmers’ representatives have grown increasingly uncomfortable about the City’s true agenda. The consultation culminated yesterday (11 March) with the Hampstead Heath Management Committee deciding to enforce a compulsory payment regime with charges for day tickets doubling to £4.00 and concessions increasing by 140% to £2.40, in spite of recommendations from the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee earlier in the week that payment should be encouraged rather than compelled for a trial period with charges fixed until 2021.

Nicky Mayhew, Co-chair of the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association explains, ‘We all support our lifeguards, their welfare and the safety of swimmers are our highest priority. However, it is now clear that the City has weaponised HSE advice as a means of bringing swimmers in line by enforcing the payment of dramatically higher charges. The way they are proposing to do this will destroy the unique atmosphere of the ponds and exclude many people who depend on swimming there for their physical and mental health.’

Chris Piesold, chair of the Highgate Men’s Pond Association explains, ‘enforced charging will test the City’s commitment to inclusion, for twenty-five years they have failed to make the Men’s Pond compliant with disability legislation and doubling the charges will broaden exclusion in a brutal way.’ He points out that enforcing payment will be expensive in terms of staffing, new technology and the loss of goodwill between swimmers and Heath staff, ‘the City has repeatedly ignored our pleas for clear signage and easy payment methods while repeatedly cutting spending on the Heath and the ponds in real terms. Now they see the growth in ‘wild’ swimming and visitor numbers as an opportunity to turn the ponds into a money-making machine. They say they are committed to subsidising swimming, yet one of our members, an expert in computer modelling, calculates that the new charges are likely to generate a profit of more than £700,000.’

Chair of the Mixed Pond Association, Mike Sands added ‘We surveyed user group members as part of the consultation and found that while 75% of them are willing to pay the current charges, nearly 70% said increased charges would limit their ability to swim. We asked the City to work with us cooperatively on managing change, but they seem determined to be heavy-handed. Aside from the impact on our members, we are concerned that on a hot day people put off using the bathing ponds by the cost of a £4 dip will take their chances in the non-lifeguarded ponds at considerable risk to their personal health and safety.’

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

The City of London took over ownership and management of Hampstead Heath and its swimming ponds in 1989 and introduced charges in 2005. Prior to that, swimming on the Heath – like roaming – had been free to all. Since then charges have been paid on a ‘self-policed’ basis.

For more information email klpamailbox@gmail.com or call Nicky Mayhew on 07773 327392.

We regret to inform you that yesterday the City of London’s Hampstead Heath Management Committee decided to reject the recommendations of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee (made on Monday, 9 March) and instead to implement the following changes from 2 May 2020:

Adopt ‘approved’ charges – managed by Heath Rangers (Option 3)
Collect the approved charges from 2 May 2020 to meet the agreed level of subsidy. It is proposed that charges will be applicable at the point of entry for the bathing ponds. Heath Rangers will oversee and ensure payment. [Non-payers to be excluded].

The ‘approved charges’ are as follows:
Adult day ticket: £4.00 (100% increase)
Concession day ticket: £2.40 (140% increase)
Season ticket (existing and new): frozen at current rates until April 2021
Free morning swims until 9.30am for over 60s and under 16s.

This decision is contrary to the recommendations of the KLPA and other swimming associations and user groups on Hampstead Heath. Our AGM on Friday 13 March will provide an early opportunity to discuss our response to this announcement and the next steps to be taken.

Please email klpamailbox@gmail.com if you wish to send us a response for consideration in the discussion.

The Hampstead Heath Management Committee will meet at 16.00 on Wednesday 11 March in the West Wing of the City of London Guildhall to consider the recommendations of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee on future management of the swimming ponds.

There will be a peaceful gathering of swimmers outside the West Wing ahead of the meeting to show support for the City’s Option 2 proposal and a freeze on current charges, as recommended by the Consultative Committee on Monday night (see report in the CNJ here).

Assemble from 15.15. The West Wing is accessed from Gresham Street and Aldermanbury (EC2). Swimwear optional, t-shirts and placards provided! Please behave respectfully towards members of the public, including the committee and City of London staff.

There will be a limited number of places available in the public gallery for the meeting at which ‘business attire’ will be expected (rather than t-shirts or swimwear). We are observers rather than participants at this meeting and so will not be able to take any part in the proceedings.

More media coverage of the City’s proposals and the swimmers’ responses (all published before Monday’s meeting of the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee):

Hampstead & Highgate Express, 4 March 2020

Camden New Journal, 6 March 2020

Financial Times, 7 March 2020

The Times, 9 March 2020

The Consultative Committee decided almost unanimously to reject the City’s recommended Option 3 (payment enforced by Rangers at all times) in favour of Option 2 (payment encouraged by Rangers staffing the ponds on busy days). There was also a strong sense from the committee that charges should be frozen until 2021 while Option 2 is trialled and the City introduces clear signage and a variety of options for making payment easily. The aim would be to monitor the effectiveness of Option 2 in generating increased revenue to meet rising costs.

This is not a final decision. The recommendations now go forward to the Hampstead Heath Management Committee meeting at the Guildhall on Wednesday 11 March for their decision. If you can, please join us for a further demonstration of swimmers’ feelings outside the Guildhall at 3.00pm on Wednesday.

You can download a copy of our submission to the Consultative Committee here (this will also go to the Management Committee).

As most of you know, the City of London will make its decision next week on charges and compulsory payment at the swimming ponds. Of the options proposed by the City (summarised on the KLPA website), they recommend Option 3, with charges for day tickets increasing from £2 to £4 (concessions to increase from £1 to £2.40). We, the user groups oppose this and are asking for Option 2 to be trialled for this summer season with NO increase in charges.

The KLPA, HMPA, MPA and USA have been invited to address the Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee on Monday 9 March, before they make their decision on which option to recommend to the Hampstead Heath Management Committee which meets on Wednesday 11 March. Ahead of the meeting we have made written submissions to be included in the document pack for committee members which summarise the points we wish to make. The main submission can be downloaded here and the appendix (which deals with the difficulties of making payment) here.

If you can, please join fellow swimmers in peaceful demonstrations on Monday and Wednesday to show your support for Option 2 and a freeze on charges. Demonstration details here.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Write to the Corporation of London with your views.
Tweet or follow the campaign
#freedomtoswim   #pondsnotprofit   

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Come and support our representatives at the critical meetings with peaceful protest.

MONDAY, 9 MARCH
Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee
GATHER 18.30, outside Parliament Hill Staff Yard.
We will have placards and t-shirts available with the campaign messages.
Some participants will be able to watch proceedings from the public gallery.

WEDNESDAY, 11 MARCH
Hampstead Heath Management Committee
Gather 15.30, outside the Guildhall, Basinghall Street EC2V 7HH
We will have placards and t-shirts available with the campaign messages.
Some participants will be able to watch proceedings form the public gallery.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Write to the Corporation of London with your views.
Tweet or follow the campaign
#freedomtoswim   #pondsnotprofit   

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Come and support our representatives at the critical meetings with peaceful protest.

MONDAY, 9 MARCH
Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee
GATHER 18.30, outside Parliament Hill Staff Yard.
We will have placards and t-shirts available with the campaign messages.
Some participants will be able to watch proceedings from the public gallery.

WEDNESDAY, 11 MARCH
Hampstead Heath Management Committee
Gather 15.30, outside the Guildhall, Basinghall Street EC2V 7HH
We will have placards and t-shirts available with the campaign messages.
Some participants will be able to watch proceedings form the public gallery.