Labour MPs Advocate for Water Companies to Restore Britain's Lost Lidos
During the recent UK heatwave, many fortunate residents found relief in the cooling, blue waters of local lidos. Recognizing the value of these outdoor swimming pools, a group of 20 Labour MPs, alongside the Fabian Society, are campaigning to make outdoor swimming accessible to all by urging water companies to finance the reopening of Britain's derelict or endangered lidos.
A new report from the Fabian Society calls on the incoming prime minister, expected to be , to leverage the upcoming water bill to mandate water companies to fund local swimming facilities such as lidos. These public outdoor pools, often architecturally significant with art deco designs, were originally constructed across the UK in the 1930s. They were affordable venues intended to promote health and wellbeing during summer months. However, by the late 1980s, nearly two-thirds had fallen into disrepair or were demolished. From over 300 lidos in the 1930s, only about a third remained operational by 1990.
Some lidos continue to face closure today, with communities actively campaigning to preserve them. For instance, Tooting Bec lido, the largest freshwater outdoor pool in the country, was saved from closure in the 1990s when the South London swimming club took over its winter management, which was less profitable.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt campaigned extensively to renovate and reopen Hillsea lido in her Portsmouth constituency. She even appeared on television in a swimming costume on the competition show Splash to raise funds for the project. The lido reopened this year.
Andrew Pakes, the Labour MP for Peterborough, successfully campaigned to keep his city’s lido open after council budget proposals suggested it might be mothballed. He has since formed a campaign group of Labour MPs representing constituencies with derelict or at-risk lidos. Pakes remarked:
“Andy Burnham talks a lot about pride in place and this could therefore be a small but important part of his policy agenda.”
Since becoming MP in 2024, Pakes has become a regular swimmer at the Peterborough lido. He 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.”
The MPs support a new Fabian Society report outlining strategies to prevent public outdoor pools from disappearing. The thinktank emphasizes:
“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.”
The report proposes that the forthcoming water bill could impose a duty on water companies to “promote and facilitate public access to safe outdoor swimming” within their regions. It suggests legislation could require companies to collaborate with local authorities to guarantee a minimum provision of lidos per population or area. This could include constructing new lidos, refurbishing existing ones, or creating swimming lakes.
Pakes added:
“Many councils have been left struggling to run our wonderful assets like lidos and public pools. This is a rallying call for us to get behind lidos. These pools are a testament for how we did it in the past and show how we can be ambitious to create new lidos and reopen derelict lidos.”
He also noted that the campaign has support from MPs such as Cabinet Office minister Anna Turley, who is interested in opening a lido in Redcar.
With rising temperatures, outdoor swimming during summer is gaining popularity. Better, the nation’s largest public swimming operator, reported that summer 2025 was its busiest ever for lidos and outdoor swim locations. Between June and August 2025, there were 542,998 swim visits, a 30% increase from 416,847 visits during the same period in 2024.
Pakes commented:
“Outdoor swimming is becoming much more important for everyone, with hotter summers we need people to have the public health and public benefit.”
The MPs Campaigning to Bring Back Their Lidos
Worthing MPs Beccy Cooper and Tom Rutland have been actively working to secure funding for the restoration and reopening of the Grade II-listed seafront lido.
Simon Opher, MP for Stroud, is campaigning to repair and reopen the art deco lido built in 1937, which closed in 2025 after the council announced it could not afford the £5 million refurbishment costs for the lining, pump, valves, and pipework deemed necessary.
Bishop Auckland MP Sam Rushworth supports the reopening of Stanhope lido.
Andrew Pakes of Peterborough has successfully campaigned to save his constituency’s lido and has sponsored parliamentary debates to emphasize the broader significance of lidos.
Jack Abbott, MP for Ipswich, has championed efforts to restore the Broomhill lido, which has been closed since 2002. After two decades of campaigning, a £10 million restoration project funded partly by the National Lottery is underway, with plans to reopen the lido in 2026.
