Third of council leisure centres in England face closure, according to survey

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Leisure centres and gyms were allowed to reopen on 12 April

A third of council-run leisure centres in England are facing permanent closure, according to a new survey.

Up to 117 centres could run out of money within months - and of those that can stay open, nearly 80% say they will have to cut services.

The District Councils' Network - which represents 180 authorities - says 拢325m is urgently needed to save the sector.

The government says it has pumped "unprecedented" amounts into sports and leisure during the pandemic.

But, according to the DCN survey, nearly a fifth of district councils expecting to have to cut services are looking to close three or more leisure centres in their areas.

Councillor Dan Humphreys, from the DCN, said this risks undermining the government's efforts to combat the "escalating mental health and obesity crisis," as the country emerges from lockdown.

Unlike privately-run gyms, he added, council facilities are "hubs of community and services helping everyone get active, from school swimming lessons, to over-60s activity schemes".

Unitary and metropolitan authorities, as well as education authorities, also run leisure facilities in England.

'If it goes, it will be a huge loss'

Image caption, Nottingham City Council said it made the decision with a "great deal of regret"

John Carroll leisure centre is facing closure in the city of Nottingham.

It supplies services to the Radford area of Nottingham, and is due to close in June.

The council argued it was the least-used and most-costly of their leisure centres to run.

Campaigner against the closure, Daniel Thomas, told 大象传媒 East Midlands "it's in the middle of a deprived and diverse community, and it's a place where everyone gets to know each other".

"If it goes, it will be a huge loss," he added.

Nottingham City Council said the pandemic and long-term government cuts had hit its finances.

Council leader David Mellen said they had chosen to close the centre with a "great deal of regret".

Responding to the DCN report, a spokesperson for Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said "We have provided unprecedented levels of support to the sports and leisure sectors, with 拢600m for elite sport, 拢300m for grassroots sport and 拢100m through the National Leisure Recovery Fund.

"In addition, the government has allocated over 拢9bn directly to councils since the start of the pandemic which includes an additional 拢1.55bn of grant funding to meet additional service pressures.

"We will continue to work closely across government, with Local Authorities and the leisure sector to ensure that the issues facing the sector are fully understood."