Urgent support for Malvern leisure centres considered by council

Malvern Splash reopened last year after a £2m refurbishment

Urgent support is needed to keep three leisure centres open in Worcestershire in the face of rocketing energy bills, a council says.

Malvern Hills District Council is looking to cut the fees it receives from Freedom Leisure by £287,000 in order to help the firm.

The company runs Malvern Splash and the Dyson Perrins and Martley leisure centres on behalf of the council.

It says without help they could be forced to close.

Freedom Leisure is also receiving £255,000 from the council's reserves, although it said it expected its bills at the three sites to rise to almost £420,000.

The firm recently announced a "small reduction" in pool temperatures, among a number of operational changes to save money.

A report, to be discussed by the district council's executive committee on 25 October, said while it was ultimately the company's responsibility, the council was burdened with all the risk because services could be cut or the leisure centres could close altogether, the Local Democracy Reporting Service says.

Visitor numbers and income had increased thanks to the newly refurbished Malvern Splash - which was completed last year at a cost of £2m, but despite the success there, other facilities are still struggling, the report said.