ROSSENDALE's Mayor said he will defy his party if plans to close Whitworth pool turn up on the agenda.

Whitworth Councillor Jimmy Grogan told the leisure and recreation committee: "I have not voted against my party in 20 years. But at the next meeting if we are asked to close the pool I will be voting against it."

In a lengthy debate feelings were running high and accusations of mismanagement and lack of funding were made by and against both parties.

The pool was originally run by Whitworth Town Council with the maintenance and upkeep paid for by Rossendale. In 1997 Rossendale took over running the town council's services but now Whitworth Civic Hall is run by a trust with some funds from Rossendale Council.

Coun Grogan presented individual letters from the children at St John with St Michael's School, Shawforth, calling for the pool to remain open.

He said: "You don't only get rid of the civic hall you are now offering to get rid of the pool and 7,500 people in Whitworth pay exactly the same community charge.

"Until this council took the pool back, the swimming pool was better attended than any other pool in Rossendale and it was the same for the civic hall.

"I think it is absolutely ridiculous we have the money in the council -- there is money from the sale of land in Goodshaw and we should be putting the pool right."

A decision on the pool's future will be made on December 19.

The committee recommended making every effort to seek the funding necessary to bring the pool up to health and safety standards and look into issues raised concerning the management of the pool.

The committee is also going to ask the policy committee to give £80,000 to carry out the health and safety work at the pool.

Committee chairman Coun Neil Smith said: "We have a crisis situation."

He said the council had been very concerned about the water quality over the past few weeks and had been takinregular samples.

He added: "Four weeks is long enough for us to determine if we can find the funding. If no funding is available, we have to close the pool."

After the meeting chairman of Whitworth Swimming Club Christine Ashcroft said: "We think the leader of the leisure services is determined that it was going to close.

"The swimming club has got to try to step up a gear and look at the possibilities of it becoming a trust so it can be preserved as a facility for the town."