A new report from the Fabian Society urges the next prime minister, Andy Burnham, to include a duty in the forthcoming water bill requiring water companies to fund local swimming facilities such as lidos. The report highlights that nearly two-thirds of the UK's 300-plus lidos built in the 1930s were derelict or demolished by 1990, and many remain at risk today.
Campaign for accessible outdoor swimming
A group of 20 Labour MPs, whose constituencies have derelict or at-risk lidos, are backing the campaign. Andrew Pakes, the Labour MP for Peterborough, successfully campaigned to keep the city's lido open after council budget plans threatened its closure. He said: "Andy Burnham talks a lot about pride in place and this could therefore be a small but important part of his policy agenda."
Pakes, a regular swimmer at the Peterborough lido, noted: "My Peterborough lido turned 90 this year and was almost shut down two years ago, it was neglected for years. I helped to run a campaign to turn it around and it has flourished since then; 1,500 people used it on bank holiday Monday last week."
Proposed water bill duty
The Fabian Society report suggests the water bill could impose a duty on water companies to "promote and facilitate public access to safe outdoor swimming" in their regions. This could involve building new lidos, refurbishing old ones, or creating swimming lakes. The report states: "They are more than outdoor swimming pools. The idea behind the architecture was that the factory worker, the coalminer, the office clerk, the apprentice, and the housewife had as much right to lounge on a sundeck or enjoy a swim in clean water as the aristocrat on an ocean liner or the stockbroker on a Monte Carlo beach."
Rising popularity of outdoor swimming
Outdoor swimming is becoming increasingly popular as summers heat up. Better, the nation's largest public swimming operator, reported that summer 2025 was its busiest ever for lidos and outdoor swim spots. Between June and August 2025, 542,998 swim visits were recorded, up from 416,847 over the same period in 2024 – a rise of 30%. Pakes said: "Outdoor swimming is becoming much more important for everyone, with hotter summers we need people to have the public health and public benefit."
Examples of lido campaigns
Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt campaigned for years to renovate the Hillsea lido in Portsmouth, which opened to the public this year. Other MPs involved include Beccy Cooper and Tom Rutland (Worthing), Simon Opher (Stroud), Sam Rushworth (Bishop Auckland), and Jack Abbott (Ipswich). The Broomhill lido in Ipswich, closed since 2002, is set to reopen in 2026 after a £10m restoration funded by the National Lottery.
