Newcastle councillors have been briefed on the costs and alternatives to continuing $2 pool entry before they decide on the future of the popular trial.
The scheme is on the chopping block after just one season, with City of Newcastle last month arguing the trial was financially unsustainable and unfairly subsidised people who were not Novocastrians.
Given a surge in swimmers at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend, councillors pushed for more information on what trade-offs might be needed to continue the trial and possibly extend cheaper entry to Lambton pool.
City of Newcastle Community and Recreation executive manager Lynn Duffy and Aquatic Services manager Donna McGovern on Tuesday laid out the costs of making the trial permanent and some other options.
Ms Duffy said the trial was intended to provide equitable and affordable access balanced against financial sustainability, operational risks and impacts.
"If that were extended to Lambton, and when the year-round facility is built there, we could see patronage increase by up to 55 per cent which would increase that to a cost of $3 million," she said.
"Lambton saw an increase of nine per cent and had more attendees than the combined participating inland pools (PIPs), regardless of the normal pricing structure that remained at Lambton during the season.
"So the $2 trial impacted attendance at the PIPs, but around 85 per cent of users said that they would have attended regardless of the discounted entry."
The council is still in the early stages of exploring options for a year-round pool at Lambton, but the project is on its wish list with the next state election just over the horizon in 2027.
A previous report to councillors in May warned $2 entry next season would require at least another $542,000 in subsidies and slash City of Newcastle's forecast operating surplus for 2026/2027 by 40 per cent.
City of Newcastle estimates including Lambton pool in $2 entry would increase the cost across all five pools to $1.75 million in 2026/27.
Introduced this summer, the trial coincided with a jump in average attendance at the four pools of 46 per cent compared to the previous year, with more than 259,000 visits.
Alternatives presented to councillors included $2 casual entry to concession card holders at Lambton, estimated to cost $48,000; $3 casual entry at the PIPs for $368,000; or $3 casual entry at the PIPs plus extending the same price to concession card holders at Lambton at a cost of almost $400,000.
Councillors questioned how people facing hardship would qualify for cheaper entry.
Labor councillor Deahnna Richardson said she does not support members of the public having to self-identify as experiencing hardship.
"I've been through that process where you have to call up and tell someone that you can't afford something, it's really invasive and it's a little bit humiliating," she said.
"So I, for that reason, really support the universal access of affordable pools."
City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath said anyone who called the council and explained they were experiencing hardship would simply be taken at their word.
Analysis included in a council report found 58 per cent of users across the four trial pools lived outside Newcastle, including 74 per cent of Beresfield patrons and 72 per cent at Stockton.
In response to questions about ways to ensure Newcastle ratepayers are not subsidising visitors from outside the city, Mr Bath said "it's messy."
"What we've tried to do is come up with a system that doesn't create a gated process or significant delays on a hot day where we actually have a line of people because someone's fussing around trying to get ID," he said.
Councillors are expected to make a decision on the pool trial this month.
