Councils in England are to get a fresh opportunity to join the Government's successful free swimming initiative. Communities secretary, John Denham, and culture secretary, Ben Bradshaw, urged local authorities not signed up to bid for up to £1m of unallocated spending from within the overall £140m package announced in April. Those only offering the scheme to over-60s or youngsters aged under 16 were urged to widen participation. More than four million people are now taking part. Mr Bradshaw said: ‘The Government's free swimming initiative has been a huge success, and most councils are working with us to make free access to local pools a reality, with many injecting money themselves. ‘But a minority are not offering it all, or only for senior citizens. We want all to have a chance now.'
