Leisure centre goes cashless - young people 'suffer discrimination' with card-only entry to Banbury pool

A granddad has criticised Woodgreen Leisure Centre for putting obstructions in the way of youngsters going swimming in the holidays, to satisfy a business wish to go cashless.

Rodney Rushton told the Banbury Guardian: “ Woodgreen Leisure Centre has released their new timetable of opening times for the swimming pool to coincide with the school holidays.

"They have open swim sessions every day, morning and afternoon and also early evenings which is great. My granddaughter and some of her friends love swimming and would love to use the facility quite regularly during the school holidays. They are all old enough and capable enough of going swimming on there own. “But there is a problem which will prevent them from doing so. Woodgreen Leisure states on their schedule, in capital letters, CARD PAYMENTS ONLY.

“None of these youngsters actually have bank cards, therefore I feel they are being discriminated against by a company that is supposed to promote fitness and should be encouraging youngsters into swimming,” he said.

"Years ago, during the school holidays, the pool would always be crowded with youngsters enjoying the facility. These days it would seem that this group of potential customers are not being catered for because cash is not being accepted.”

Mr Rushton wrote to the leisure centre through its Facebook page and was given ‘stock answers’.

"The stock answers basically were parents or carers could drop their children off and pay; you can book online or you can buy pre-paid cards.

“All of the above are at odds with youngsters wanting to go swimming and obstructions being put in place by the centre for their convenience.” he said.

A spokesperson for Cherwell District Council said: “We are delighted with how much use Woodgreen outdoor pool is getting this summer and are committed to making the pools welcoming and easy to attend for people of all ages.

“Since COVID, all of our leisure centres have adopted a cashless system of payment which includes Woodgreen Leisure Centre and outdoor pool. There are options available for pre-payment via debit-credit card whether this be a ‘block swim’ card or payment made over the phone ahead of attending a single session. This means that parents can ring the centre, make payment for the swim and leave the details of the children attending for the receptionist.

“Implementation of the ‘cashless’ system has been relatively smooth with very little in way of customer concerns. In very exceptional circumstances and at the sole discretion of the leisure operator, a cash payment could be made.

"If parents or carers need advice or support making arrangements for their children to attend unaccompanied we would encourage them to ring in advance and the friendly staff will be happy to advise.”

BusinessComparison revealed this week that 44 per cent of respondents to a survey on cashless payments had still used cash in the last seven days. “While it may not be the preferred form of paying, it’s clear that many continue to not rely solely on cashless payment methods,” the report said.