DISTRICT councillors will be told of serious concerns over the financial management of operating costs at Minehead's Aquasplash pool, together with fears that no money has been set aside for much-needed maintenance. Members of West Somerset District Council's newly-formed performance committee will also be told of an apparent lack of communication between pool managers and council finance chiefs, a failure to heed warnings about the site's future and a seeming lack of trust between officers and councillors. The observations are made in a no-holds-barred report drawn up as part of a strategic review of the pool by councillors Peter Humber, Jenny Hill and Keith Parkes. The trio's report is due to be discussed at a meeting of the committee today (Friday) and will tell councillors that doing nothing is not an option. Although it makes no concrete recommendations for the future of the pool, the report sets out a range of options, including immediate closure without replacement, renovation, alternative provision and calls for closer financial budget control. The trio also recommend "as a matter of urgency" that portfolio holder Cllr Terry Venner and key officers "take note" of the report and come up with firm recommendations for the "immediate and strategic future of facilities for swimming" as soon as possible. Their report points out that although the council and its partners have clear "healthy living" aims and aspirations, no provision has been made in the council's three-year budget to maintain Aquasplash. No contingency money has been set aside either, while running costs are simply listed as a £200,000 deficit with no allowance made for potential inflation. The report also highlights an apparent financial conflict as the council subsidises the West Somerset Sports and Leisure Centre at the community college to the tune of almost £20,000 a year. Cllrs Humber, Hill and Parkes suggest the two facilities should be merged as the leisure centre operates in direct conflict with facilities offered at the Aquasplash site. They also draw attention to the lack of information available to councillors about a long talked about proposal to create a leisure and lifelong learning centre at the college, which has now been given the working title of Exmoor Horizons. The report questioned why Aquasplash had not been included as a "key site" in council development plans for Minehead and said no one had been able to quantify a valuation figure of the site given within Exmoor Horizons literature as £2 million. The group also pointed out they were still waiting for a copy of a report about the feasibility of the Exmoor Horizons scheme. The report states: "The panel was very concerned that this important potential development at the college, which may contain a swimming pool, has had such a low profile among councillors including us, and who were unaware of the implications. "Is this a lack of communication and trust between officers and councillors?" It continues: "We express serious concern that budget forecasts appear to underestimate the deficits i.e. the financial management of the operating costs appear to be weak. "It is difficult to reconcile the estimates in the three-year budget 2005-2008 . . . in particular we are concerned about the apparent lack of communication between the management of Aquasplash and the corporate finance team. "We consider that there has been a serious failure to heed warning signs about the future of Aquasplash in a 1999 report by strategic leisure." The report noted that modern swimming pool technology only had about a ten-year life but that did not detract from concerns about maintenance levels at the pool. However, the group did commend the leisure and community team leader for her "dedication to Aquasplash". The report was based on research and the results of in-depth interviews conducted by the three councillors with portfolio holders, pool users and senior council officers.