Sir, I had no intention of submitting yet another letter about the Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool.

As your correspondent Mr Soden (Letters, March 25) so correctly stated, there are many topics far more worthy of correspondence. However, I cannot let Dr Harbour’s implication that I am “confusing capital and operating costs” (Letters, April 1) go unanswered.

I am perfectly clear about the difference between the two.

If the pool is completely repaired and refurbished, this will require the lion’s share of the capital sum of £500,000 identified by the Vale for the improvement of Abbey Meadow. This has nothing to do with the operating costs, which will have to be found from the annual sum earmarked by the Vale for maintenance of Abbey Meadow as a whole – currently £60,000.

Even assuming Dr Harbour’s optimistic forecast for the future of the refurbished pool to be correct (Build it and they’ll come!), a substantial proportion of this sum will still be required for its maintenance and running costs, leaving very little for the care of the other facilities which are used all year round. Let this be the end of the matter.

Roberta Nichols
Mattock Way
Abingdon