A think tank is urging the government to launch a programme to build and restore outdoor swimming pools across England.
The Fabian Society says ministers should use the forthcoming Water Reform Bill to give water companies a legal duty to promote safe outdoor swimming, including helping to fund and build new lidos.
Proposals are set out in a new report called The People’s Pools: A Labour Plan to Build Lidos, by Greg Rosen.
The report recommends an initial programme to deliver around 25 new or restored lidos over the next decade, focusing on new towns and cities that currently have no outdoor swimming facilities.
It argues many councils want to restore historic lidos but can’t afford projects that cost between £5m and £10m.
Under the proposals, water companies would work alongside local authorities, which would remain responsible for planning and ownership. Leisure operators would manage the facilities once they opened.
More than 300 lidos were built by Labour councils during the 1930s, according to the report, as part of wider efforts to improve public health and expand access to leisure. Many later closed as spending pressures on councils increased and indoor leisure centres became more widespread.
The report, which can be read in full here, claims demand for outdoor swimming has increased in recent years. Better, the UK’s largest public leisure operator, recorded almost 543,000 visits to its outdoor pools during the summer of 2025, a 30% increase on the previous year.
Mr Rosen argues the programme could improve public health, help more children learn to swim and support local regeneration. He also says it would fit with Labour’s wider ‘Pride in Place’ agenda, which focuses on investment in local communities.
The proposals would require changes to legislation and the way the water industry is regulated. Currently, the government hasn’t confirmed whether it plans to adopt the recommendations.
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