Citing rising electricity costs and pool maintenance, Shellharbour City Council has increased adult entry fees for cold-water pools from $3 to $3.30 and from $3.80 to $4.60 for the Oak Flats heated pool.

Just four years ago, entry to the cold-water pools was free. The council decided to impose an entry fee in late 2009.

By comparison, entry to the Kiama Council-owned heated pool at the leisure centre is $4.50 and Wollongong City Council charges $4.30 for Corrimal and Dapto heated pools, with no charge for the cold-water pools.

Shellharbour City Mayor Marianne Saliba said she wasn’t aware of how Shellharbour’s entry fees compared with pools at other councils, but she said the pools did cost quite a lot to maintain.

‘‘The pools cost over $1million a year and with, I think, almost one in three or four backyards in Shellharbour having a pool in it, we’re spending a lot of money on a relatively small number of users,’’ Cr Saliba said.

She added that the pools’ fees brought in $100,000 – far below the $1million to keep them open.

The issues facing the pools were that attendance had been ‘‘dwindling’’ even before fees were introduced and the pools were getting older and cost more to maintain.

‘‘I have no desire to close pools or take away the amenities that people use,’’ she said.

Oak Flats Swimming Club president Jim Egan opposed the introduction of charges in 2009 and said rising fees had affected his club.

‘‘Knowing those fees and knowing what’s going on, they’re going to price everybody out of swimming,’’ he said. 

‘‘We’re having trouble with memberships now and with those sort of increases, things are going to get worse.’’

Membership of the club had fallen by about 40per cent since the introduction of the fees.

‘‘Now, with further increases we’re going to be battling again to survive. I think it’ll actually be the end of the swimming club.’’

Mr Egan said the charges for the cold-water pools were ‘‘way over the top’’ and claimed that attendances had fallen since fees were introduced. The rise in charges was something he thought would have dire implications.

‘‘I think it will close Warilla pool. I’m sure it will close one or two of the pools in the Shellharbour area completely because attendances were so far down.’’

As well as rises in pool-entry fees, people will also have to pay extra to dump rubbish. That  is due to higher construction costs for a new landfill at Dunmore waste depot and a rise in the state government waste fee.  Charges will rise by $45 a tonne for commercial mixed waste (to $312), by $21 for a ute and trailer of unsorted waste and $4 per car ($15 to $19).