Ros

The mayor is very capable of changing his mind and associated policy regarding the closure of facilities in the area. He did so with Ladywell Pools as highlighted in Jon Henley's Diary, in The Guardian on 15 December 2006. Which reads:

"? When, last May, Labour's control of Lewisham council ended after 35 years, it was widely assumed that the slump in support for Mr Tony's men was due in no small part to a bitter battle over the fate of the popular Ladywell baths, which Labour mayor Steve Bullock was hellbent on demolishing to make way for a new school, and residents were determined to keep. Despite swearing that he would "not be changing his mind", Cllr Bullock last month did, announcing that the pool would stay open, the school would be built elsewhere, and that this was, of course, "the result I was always striving for".

The Save Ladywell Pool Campaign, he added magnanimously, was "a great example of how local people can get their views heard". Oddly, the mayor told Time Out that the campaign, led by "a very small group of backward-looking people", was "pathetic". Presumably to put an end to all this confusion, the front page of Lewisham Labour Action now proudly proclaims: "Mayor Saves Ladywell Pool." Fancy that!"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/dec/15/1