Cllr Mike Rowley (June 6) should be delighted that his assertions are so wide of the mark.

If he compared equivalent facilities, rather than the total for the whole centre, it would be clear that Temple Cowley Pools (180 tonnes CO2) has lower emissions than the new Blackbird Leys Pool (300 tonnes CO2). And the total carbon footprint should include the 1,900 tonnes of build cost (routinely ignored for convenience).

Even when the total emissions at Temple Cowley Pools were over 900 tonnes in 2009-2010, the emissions per square metre were lower than those at either Ferry or Barton centres, so Temple Cowley Pools was demonstrably, using the council’s own figures, the most energy efficient leisure centre. Why, then, would anyone want to close down this much-used facility?

The carbon footprint reduction is only possible by closing health/fitness facilities in both Temple Cowley and Blackbird Leys. So the council “saves” by closing our facilities; overall everyone loses.

On Cllr Rowley’s performance in two letters, it seems that in voting for closure and ignoring the information in front of them many other Labour councillors have chosen to exhibit a similar level of myopia.

We continue developing a proposal to operate Temple Cowley Pools, and look forward to working with the council to achieve an ‘impartial’ decision, demonstrated openly and transparently as a fair and just process that gives sufficient and appropriate weight to the views of the people of Oxford, who simply want the health and fitness facilities they need kept in Temple Cowley.

NIGEL GIBSON director, SaveTCP, Dene Road, Headington

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