Leisure centres and libraries closure warning as costs spiral

Only half of primary schools in Wales offer free swimming lessons, the committee heard

"Immediate" and long-term extra funding is needed to stop leisure centres and libraries in Wales closing, according to a cross-party Senedd committee.

The report says both services have been hit hard by high inflation, rising energy bills and historic budget cuts.

Local government committee chair John Griffiths said "this situation needs to be addressed before it gets worse".

Ministers said they were "doing all we can to protect local services with the resources we have available to us".

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The Local Government and Housing Committee report says the benefits to people's health and wellbeing of leisure centres and libraries were not always fully appreciated by the Welsh government and local councils.

Leisure centre swimming pools, which were were not included in the UK government's Energy Bills Discount Scheme, have become increasingly expensive to heat.

In the chancellor's March budget a £63m fund was announced to help swimming pools in England, and the committee is calling for additional Welsh government funding for pools in Wakes.

Welsh ministers should receive around £3.5m in extra cash as a result of Jeremy Hunt's announcement, but there has been no equivalent boost for pools in Wales announced, although the Welsh government is free to spend such additional sums as it wishes.

Libraries offer much more than a chance to borrow books, the committee says

The committee is also calling on the government to do more to ensure all primary schools can offer free swimming lessons to pupils, as currently only around half of them do so.

The report says efforts to make leisure centres and libraries more energy efficient are not enough, and despite some government funding make buildings greener the committee heard that was not enough to hit targets to decarbonise buildings by 2030.

Committee chair and Labour Newport East MS Mr Griffiths called the situation many leisure and library services found themselves in "concerning".

"Budget cuts are causing great difficulty, and this situation needs to be addressed before it gets worse," he said.

"But we cannot pretend that this is a problem that can be solved quickly. Long term thinking - and funding - will be required if we want to keep these vital public services going.

"We know the huge amount of social value that libraries and leisure centres add to our communities.

"From computer classes to sports lessons, these places actually save money in the long-run by keeping us happier and healthier. The funding they receive should match their contribution to society."

Half a million pounds more

Andrew Morgan, leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, said every council "is just looking at how we can make savings without having to close facilities".

"But it's becoming more and more challenging," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Over a decade of real pressure on budgets means that all the easy savings have long been made.

"The two priority budgets every year are education and social services," he said.

"So it does mean other services unfortunately are becoming squeezed more and more."

In his authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT), which he leads, Mr Morgan said the council is not closing leisure centres, but is looking at the hours they are open to see if they can be reduced "marginally" without having an impact on customers.

He said the council has tried to increase customers to boost income, but energy costs for a swimming pool in RCT are now half a million pounds more than they were was 18 months ago.

"That's just not sustainable," he added.

What are ministers saying?

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We are doing all we can to protect local services with the resources we have available to us.

"The core funding we provide local government has increased by 7.9% in 2023-2024 to over £5.5bn.

"This funding can be used flexibly by local authorities to provide services in response to local needs and priorities.

"We thank the committee for its report. We will consider its findings and respond in due course."