Forty per cent of council areas at risk of leisure centre and swimming pool closures and restrictions before April without immediate support
Forty per cent of council areas are at risk of losing their leisure centres and swimming pools within five months – or seeing services rationalised – due to the sector’s growing energy crisis, industry leaders have warned.
New figures* from ukactive project that without government intervention, large numbers of public sector leisure facilities are unlikely to make it through to next spring, with service restrictions and facility closures already growing across the UK.
A new consultation with national public leisure operators asked ukactive members to risk assess the current threat to their facilities.
The findings show:
- 40% of council areas are at risk of losing their leisure centre(s) or seeing reduced services at their leisure centre(s) before 31 March 2023
- Three quarters (74%) of council areas are classified as ‘unsecure’, meaning there is risk of the closure of leisure centres and/or reduced services before 31 March 2024.
Industry leaders are calling for immediate support to avoid significant closures – support that cannot wait until the outcome of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme review from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which will not be implemented until April 2023.
They are calling on the Government to intervene straight away and work with local authorities and facility operators to find a short-term solution that supports discussions on the long-term future of the services provided to communities by public leisure facilities.
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ukactive has also conducted consumer polling with Savanta ComRes** which found the cost of living crisis is causing concern among consumers about their physical activity levels.
The polling shows:
- 43% of respondents said the rising cost of living will have a negative impact on their ability to participate in sport and exercise.
- One in five (20%) said this would be a ‘large negative impact’ which will reduce their physical activity a lot.
The combination of energy bills and threat to consumer spending mean that many essential frontline community health services could disappear from cities, towns, and villages across the nation.