Because the new swimming pool for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s home uses a lot of electricity from the local grid, he had to upgrade the local grid to meet the demand for all that electricity, according to the Guardian newspaper.
At a time when many Brits are struggling with soaring electricity bills and trying to reduce their energy consumption, additional equipment was recently installed in remote parts of North Yorkshire to bring extra electricity from the national grid to the Prime Minister’s home in his constituency.
It comes after Sunak built a new heated swimming pool, gym and tennis court on the grounds of his weekend home. Engineers had to install large amounts of equipment as well as new connections to the national power grid.
Sunak will fund the cost of upgrading the electricity network from its own funds, which is estimated at tens of thousands of pounds sterling, in addition to the cost of the swimming pool’s energy consumption.
The construction of the 12-meter swimming pool was completed at a time when the city government was forced to reduce the opening hours of the swimming pools it manages in the area, including that in the Sunak house area, due to increasing energy bill prices. This week, Parliament’s culture committee called on the government to provide additional support for swimming pools in upcoming budgets, noting that about 350 swimming pools have been closed or their operating hours reduced due to energy costs.
Last month, operators of swimming pools near the prime minister’s residence said public access was being restricted due to rising energy costs. Meanwhile, the government is preparing to end its energy bill subsidy program, although it is likely to temporarily extend it in next week’s budget.
The home that Sunak owns in his constituency is a Class II luxury mansion with extensive gardens including a private lake, low dam and small harbour. It is surrounded by a large group of farmhouses, in the immediate vicinity of which there are three buildings, a farmhouse and the remains of a medieval settlement.
embarrassing situation
On the other hand, Prime Minister Sunak was subjected to an embarrassing situation when he was walking with his family in the Royal Park in London, where the police approached him and told him that he was breaking the law for taking his dog with him and letting him freely move, which is considered a violation of the law within the parks. The dog was photographed a few meters away from a sign saying owners should not release their dogs.
Government headquarters refused to say whether Sunak would apologize for violating the law. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “I will not comment on the video of the Prime Minister and his family. You can see it and speak for yourself. When asked if the prime minister broke the law, the spokesman said: “I will not comment on any more words.”
It comes after police fined Sunak in January for not wearing a belt in his car.
