ON the face of it anything which will bring more money in to Otley's struggling (in terms of user numbers) public swimming pool has to be welcomed. And in transferring control of the Chippindale Pool (along with all its other sports facilities) to a charitable trust later this year, Leeds City Council (LCC) is following a route already well trodden by other authorities up and down the country.

By becoming a Leeds Sports Trust facility, the pool will face lower running costs (with reduced rates and so on to pay) and be obliged to plough the savings back into the facilities - theoretically a win-win situation for the pool and its users.

Councillor Ryk Downes (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) points out that this status change should improve the long term viability of the pool, and he may well be right.

But any change in the management of such a well-loved public facility is also bound to set some alarm bells ringing, and Sports Council member John Morgan is understandably wary of what the new arrangements - and how accountable the new trust will be under them - will mean.

We all know that smoke alarms save lives - yet amazingly not only do 20 per cent of homes in England not have them fitted, but four out of five households don't follow fire service advice to test their alarm every week.

That means a lot of people are gambling with their own lives and those of their families for no better reason than apathy.

Now Horsforth and Aireborough MP Paul Truswell is urging people to take the time to have a smoke alarm fitted and to make sure that they test it each week.

Mr Truswell admits he is one of the many people who have not tested or replaced smoke alarms enough, and he describes the Government Fire Kills campaign as a real wake up call. Are we listening?