Hopes for leisure centre as cuts loom

The council's subsidy enables it to be used by the public outside of school hours and on weekends

Shropshire Council has said it hopes a leisure centre can remain open to the public amid proposals to remove its funding.

The local authority said it was continuing discussions over the future of Much Wenlock Leisure Centre, should it decide to end its £280,000 subsidy to the facility next year.

It is owned by the William Brookes Academy Trust and used by the school, but has been operated and managed by the council since 2010.

The choice to remove funding could come as the council looks to make £18m in savings next year.

The council's subsidy, which amounts to £280,040 in the current financial year, enables the centre to be used by the public outside of school hours and on weekends.

If the proposals to remove it are supported, the earliest the centre could close would be April 2026.

The report will be discussed by cabinet at its meeting on 5 March.

Councillor Dan Thomas, who represents Much Wenlock, said: "Understandably, the consultation showed most people wanted the service to remain.

"We appreciate that the changes we need to make could reduce community use, but our need to cut day-to-day costs of services means that we have some tough decisions to make.

"However, we believe that if we can help identify possible sources of capital investment to further improve the centre, this could provide a basis for continued public access without any council subsidy.

"Discussions with all the partners and stakeholders will continue to seek to achieve this, but there is a long way still to go."