Following her previous representations to the Treasury, Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, welcomed the news of further government support for swimming pools and leisure centres announced in the Chancellor’s Spring budget last week.
As part of the Chancellor’s Spring budget, an additional £63 million was announced for leisure centres with swimming pools across England that face immediate cost pressures including operational and maintenance costs, and energy bills. The fund will be managed by Sport England and will allow local authorities to apply for funding to keep leisure centres and pools open.
Since last year, Nusrat has been liaising with the CEO of Freedom Leisure, Ivan Horsfall Turner, which operates the Hailsham, Crowborough and Uckfield leisure centres in Wealden. Nusrat recently met Mr Horsfall Turner to discuss the impact of the rise in energy bills on the leisure sector and has been making representations to the Treasury regarding further support in addition to the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Leisure centres and swimming pools are key facilities for our communities, and I appreciate the difficulties that swimming pools in Wealden and nationwide are facing as a result of rising energy costs. I am very pleased that following my representations, the Chancellor recognised this challenging situation by announcing additional targeted support for leisure centres in the Spring Budget. I appreciate that the limited funding will be available to struggling pools across England and I would have welcomed an even greater package to guarantee support for our local facilities. I fully encourage Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council to apply for this funding and secure support for swimming pools in Wealden.”
