Leisure centres with swimming pools will be given a £63m boost in Wednesday’s Budget, says Sport England.
The money – in the form of a fund that Sport England will manage – is aimed at easing the pressure on the leisure sector caused by rising energy and maintenance costs.
A key aim is to help facilities become low-carbon and more energy efficient.
Sport England CEO Tim Hollingsworth said the fund will be a “lifeline” for centres who have faced closures.
“Swimming pools play a vital role in our communities and are enormously important in helping people to be physically active in their daily lives,” he said.
“We know how difficult the present situation is and have been working hard to ensure these providers get the support they need.
“We’ll now turn our efforts to supporting the process in the weeks ahead to distribute the funding made available today to ensure it goes where it is needed the most.”
Swim England CEO Jane Nickerson added: “We welcome this intervention, which is an important recognition of the incredibly challenging situation currently facing swimming pools and their value to local communities.
“The financial support announced will undoubtedly make a difference for a number of vulnerable pools as they battle with increased energy costs.”
The leisure sector was set to lose out when the government scaled back its energy support scheme from April to focus on heavy energy-using sectors.
In total, £40m of the one-year fund will be for investment in long-term energy efficiency, while £23m will help local leisure centres with costs.
Figures compiled by UK Active in January showed more than 350 leisure facilities in the UK have closed temporarily or permanently or made changes to their services in the past year.
Last month a coalition of almost 200 sports governing bodies, health organisations and top athletes wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with an “urgent plea” to help struggling gyms, pools and clubs.
Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, chair of the Culture, Tourism and Sport Board at the Local Government Association, said he was pleased the importance of public pools had been recognised.
“Councils and pool operators have worked hard to keep them open for as long as possible in the face of rising energy costs, but have been warning that without investment we would have seen a large number of closures,” he said.
“This funding will enable us to keep the doors open, and also continue the transformation of our pools to an energy efficient future that offers a lasting legacy for communities.”
