Councils handing over parks and sports centres

More than half of Welsh councils are handing responsibility for their parks and sports centres to the community, or are planning to do so.

With 17 of the 22 councils responding to inquiries by BBC Wales, only two - Blaenau Gwent and Denbighshire - said they had no plans to sell their assets.

The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) said there had to be a "sense of realism" over discretionary services.

But it said councils were looking at "innovative ways" of running leisure.

In Carmarthenshire, the future of 96 parks is uncertain, as the council tries to find savings of nearly £40m.

The BBC's Newyddion 9 programme found that many councils had already transferred the ownership or running of their leisure services.

'Brunt of austerity'

Conwy county said its playing fields and community centres had been let to others since the early 1990s.

Newport and Torfaen have transferred their leisure facilities to not-for-profit organisations.

Anglesey said it had sold some sites and was considering others, while councils in the process of transferring facilities included Bridgend, Ceredigion, Powys and Wrexham.

Those considering selling sites or setting up partnerships included Flintshire, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Cardiff said it had no plans to sell any sites, but was exploring different ways of providing services.

A WLGA spokesman said: "Council services are bearing the brunt of austerity and, as many of the statutory services such as education and social services are protected, the financial pressures and cuts are most affecting discretionary services such as leisure and sport facilities.

"Where possible, councils try to continue to deliver these services in-house but, rather than stopping services altogether, councils are exploring new and innovative ways of sustaining them in partnership with community groups or town and community councils."