Cash
to help keep pools afloat
Halton has received £146,799 from the Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund to help with running costs at three pools:
- Kingsway Leisure Centre
- Brookvale Recreation Centre
- Beechwood Community Centre
More than 100 local authorities across England have been awarded a share of the £20m fund to help them keep public pools open in the face of challenging financial pressures.
Halton’s award will support pools with increased cost pressures, associated with recent rises in energy and operating costs.
Swimming is a valuable life skill for people of all ages, important for safety as well as both physical and mental health and wellbeing.
The Swimming Pool Support Fund was announced at the March Budget to support facilities with swimming pools. This £20m fund means that 196 leisure centres and swimming pools in 103 local authorities will benefit from this funding supporting over 23 million swims a year collectively, meaning millions of people across the country will have the chance to stay fit and healthy a, contributing to the Government’s aim to cut obesity rates and get millions more people active.
Operating costs including but not limited to heating, alongside general inflationary pressure has increased considerably over recent months, with local authorities facing greater challenges to make ends meet as a result.
Cllr Paul Nolan, the Council’s Executive Board member for leisure, says: “It’s really good news that the Council has been awarded this funding. It will help ease the current pressures associated with rising energy costs for these highly valued centres that play a vital role in supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of many of our residents.”