Bamber Bridge Leisure Centre Chorley and South Ribble councils have failed in a bid for funding that would have reduced the huge bill they face to help keep
Chorley and South Ribble councils have failed in a bid for funding that would have reduced the huge bill they face to help keep their leisure centres and swimming pools afloat.The neighbouring boroughs recently committed almost £2m between them – £1.1m from Chorley and £800,000 from South Ribble – to ensure that the facilities make it through the winter.
Meetings of Chorley and South Ribble councils last month heard that their leisure centres – which are all now effectively run in-house after previously having been outsourced – risked going under by next spring in the absence of additional support. Stubbornly high energy costs and a larger-than-expected pay rise, which is now likely to be given to all council staff as part of a national deal, were cited as the prime reasons for the financial pressures.
Before approving the bailouts, councillors at both authorities were told that the council-owned companies that now run the centres – Chorley Leisure Limited and South Ribble Leisure Limited – were otherwise unlikely to have sufficient “cash flow” to operate through until March 2024. However, she added: “This will not deter us from doing all we can to make sure our leisure centres can thrive. We know how vital our centres are – particularly swimming pools – across the community and we want to see them succeed. We have made another bid in the next round of funding,” Cllr Hunter said.
“We are committed to ensuring the success of our leisure centres and in a climate where, unfortunately, many leisure centres across the country are being forced to close, we are doing absolutely all we can to make sure our centres are still available for our communities, as we know how important they are in supporting our residents’ health and wellbeing,” Cllr Murray added.
Jennifer Mein, Preston City Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The funding will help towards the high costs of running the swimming pools, which include utility bills and pool chemical costs.
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