Teignmouth Lido will open for the summer

Council u-turn means attraction will open

Teignmouth Lido will open for the summer of 2026 after what campaigners are calling a victory for people power.

The powerful executive committee of Teignbridge Council decided to overturn an earlier decision to leave the lido closed for the summer after hearing how community groups were anxious to take the plunge and help to keep it going.

The council will now open and run the pool this summer, working alongside the community groups whose ambition is eventually to take over the open-air pool altogether.

It has been declared surplus to requirements by the cash-strapped council, and because it is an official asset of community value there will be a chance for the local community to put together a bid to buy it.

After the executive committee meeting campaigner Catherine Brown said: “This is a brilliant outcome. It’s unbelievable that the council has gone from a unanimous decision to close it to a unanimous decision to keep it open!

“It shows that people power does matter. The council has listened, and that’s brilliant. We are very grateful to them.”

Members of the all-Liberal Democrat executive voted unanimously to reverse their earlier decision, and pledged to work with the local community and willing community groups.

Cllr David Cox (Lib Dem, Teignmouth Central) said the people of Teignmouth and Shaldon had paid for the pool when it first opened in 1973, and were keen to take it on again. Cllr Chris Clarance (Ind, Shaldon and Stokeinteignhead) said it was part of the town’s history and Cllr Andrew MacGregor (Ind, Bishopsteignton) warned that keeping it closed would amount to ‘managed decline’.

Cllr David Palethorpe (Lib Dem, Ipplepen) told the meeting: “What has come through strongly is how much the lido means to the community. It is part of the town’s character.

“Opening it is the right thing to do. It allows the community to continue to use it while we work with those groups that may want to come forward.”

The meeting heard that it would cost the council £74,000 to keep the pool open for the summer at a time when finances are under pressure, but members were urged to think of the value of doing it rather than the price.

Council leader Richard Keeling (Lib Dem, Chudleigh) told lido supporters in the public gallery: “We have listened and we are acting.”

After the meeting Teignmouth town councillor Penelope Lloyd said it was exactly the outcome the town had been hoping for.

“What you’re seeing is democracy in action,” she said. “Teignbridge made a decision based on insufficient information, and when they got that information from the public they changed their minds.”