For the love of Lidos

In the 1930s, 169 lidos were built by local councils across England, especially in the south where the sun was more likely to shine. They were a manifestation of robust municipalism, and the view that local government should provide a range of health services to local people, from public baths, to laundries, to public parks, to sanitoria. Before the 1945 Government, and the establishment of the NHS, local councils increasingly took care of their communities’ health, including running health centres and hospitals. Lidos were part of a municipal drive to improve the nation’s health, especially that of the working people living in smoky cities.

Lidos also met a growing public appetite for health and fitness. Parliament passed the Physical Training and Recreation Act in 1937, following a less-than-glittering performance by Britain’s Olympians at the Berlin games. This was the decade of cycling, rambling, swimming, gymnasia, callisthenics, and the ‘Women’s League of Health and Beauty’. Orwell famously decried fruit juice drinkers, nudists, and ‘nature cure’ quacks in the Road to Wigan Pier. Each should be viewed as the quirkier end of this national craze for fitness.

This year, Peterborough Lido celebrates its 90th anniversary. An art deco jewel that opened in 1936 it has stood the test of time despite being bombed in World War Two, changing fortunes and several attempts to close it down. Last year – after a spirited campaign – it had its best season with over 37,000 visits over its season.

Alongside the beautiful art deco designs was a beautiful idea – that working people should be able to enjoy the same kind of leisure facilities as the rich. A factory worker had a right to sunbathe and swim just as surely as a plutocrat on a cruise liner or an aristocrat on the French Riviera.

Then came a war, and the lidos closed. In the postwar era they struggled, as the masses headed for the Mediterranean. In the 1960s and 1970s, our lidos fell into disuse, were closed, sold off or left to crumble. In recent years, something remarkable has happened. Powered by local communities, and the humbling efforts of action committees and campaigners, local lidos are making a comeback. Often through community interest companies (CICs), local groups have taken over their lidos. Government cash has revived the lido. Enlightened councillors have called off the bulldozers and saved their lidos for the community.

In Peterborough, the Government’s Growth Mission Fund has provided the millions to create a new public pool so that by 2028 we will have a new indoor pool alongside our majestic lido in the city centre. But it would not have happened without the voluntary efforts of the Friends of Peterborough Lido and its chair Claire Marshall. She, and many like her, are the true face of our communities: building something precious, not peddling fear and hate. Creating an asset for future generations, not dividing the community.

Now, we are seeing a renaissance for those lidos which survived the wrecking balls. In the recent Parliamentary debate I instigated, we heard from so many parliamentarians with inspiring stories about their own lidos, pools, and baths, from Worthing to Carlisle. Lidos are an idea whose time has come again.

We know the huge health benefits of outdoor swimming, for mental as well as physical health. We know how important it is to teach children to swim safely. We appreciate the benefits of time away from screens and respite from scrolling. Most of all, we know that for the NHS to survive, we need a seismic shift towards prevention of ill-health, not waiting until someone is unwell before we intervene. For every pound we spend in helping someone stay healthy, we save four pounds down the line.

In the 1930s, the municipal socialists understood the transforming power of local democracy. They knew, like Cicero, that ‘salus populi suprema lex esto’ – the health of the people shall be the highest law. Today, that should be emblazoned on the walls of every lido in the land, as lidos return to their rightful place at the heart of the community. In Peterborough, we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of our lido. But for me, lidos are about more than heritage and civic pride; they should not only preserved but expanded, with new ones built for the new towns and developments we are building.