South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 29 March 1952
Denaby Baths Plan Hitch
Held Up for Steel
Six tons of steel are likely to prevent children in Conisbrough, Denaby and Mexborough (combined population nearly 35,000) from learning to swim in safety for the next three years at least. Meanwhile their only swimming facilities are in the River Don and the canal.
In an effort to improve the position, the Cadeby and the Denaby branches of the N.U.M. are to write to the Rt. Hon. W. Paling, M.P. for the Dearne Valley, asking him to put the matter before the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.
Conisbrough Urban Council are also asking the public to support them in the matter, and will probably organise a petition about it.
The Council have been seeking to install a filtration plant in the existing Denaby Baths, which may not be used for swimming until such a plant is running.
After years of negotiations they received a guarantee from the County Council, who offered to pay half the cost involved. They recently sought permission to go ahead with the work from the Ministry, and also asked for a loan.
A deputation of two Conisbrough councillors, Messrs. J. T. E. Collins and G. Cheshire, met Ministry officials and were told that it was unlikely that they could proceed with the scheme for at least three years.
Coun. Collins told Conisbrough Urban Council last week that it would need about six tons of steel and timber in the construction of the plant, and those materials were regarded as high priority for housing and re-armament.
“We want steel not for destruction but for construction,” he said.
Because there seemed little likelihood of the steel being made available, the application for a loan to carry out the work had also been turned down.