Swimming: Fears pools across the UK will close
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The Government is being warned that sports facilities like swimming pools may have to close in the near future due to higher energy costs.
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme was introduced in the mini-budget back in September 2022 and means businesses can get a discount on their gas and electricity prices - but this scheme will finish at the end of March.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has now announced he'll be replacing it with a new Energy Bill Discount Scheme but some businesses - like leisure facilities - aren't happy about it.
What has this got to do with swimming pools?
More than 60 public pools across the UK have closed over the last three years
Leading organisations from the physical activity sector and local government have come together asking for more support for grassroots sport and physical activity.
In a statement they said that leisure facilities are still facing lots of financial pressures due to the pandemic and the energy crisis.
They're warning that without specific support for these services in the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, it could cause leisure centres - especially those with swimming pools - to close across the UK.
This could then have a wider impact on millions of people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
Why are swimming pools for children so important?
The Chief Medical Officer in the UK says children should do around 60 minutes of exercise a day.
Schools are also required to provide swimming lessons in either Key Stage 1 of Key Stage 2 as part of the National Curriculum.
The aim is that all children should be able to swim 25m confidently by the time they leave primary school.
But with more and more closing, it's becoming harder to access swimming pools.
In the summer of 2022 the BBC found that between 2019 and 2022, one in six local authorities had seen at least one pool close, on either a permanent or temporary basis.
Swim England estimates that around 1 in 4 children currently leave primary school unable to swim 25m.
That number is expected to rise to as many as 6 in 10 by 2025.
What are they asking for?
The organisations - which include Swim England, the Youth Sport Trust and ukactive - want the government to put three key measures in place:
Provide a higher level of discount on energy prices through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme. Businesses that are classed as 'energy intensive' - which means they need to use a lot of energy - get bigger discounts than other businesses but pools and leisure centres aren't currently classed as this.
Set out more support across 2023 for the wider sector which includes gyms, sports facilities and clubs.
Make a plan to help the sector grow and improve.
What has the government said?
Jeremy Hunt - the Chancellor of the Exchequer - recently announced a new support scheme for businesses which gives more money to those that need to use more energy
A government spokesperson said:
"We know our grassroots sports facilities are contending with increases in running costs and we provided an £18 billion package of support for organisations such as clubs, pools, leisure centres, schools, charities and businesses through the winter.
"We made £1 billion available to ensure the survival of sports and leisure sectors during the pandemic, giving councils an additional £3.7 billion to deliver key services such as leisure centres and swimming pools, and we are investing £260 million to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK."