Leisure centres’ cash call
H2,800 venues could shut by Christmas, association warns hplea for £773m in funding to stave off crisis in deprived areas
Almost 3,000 public leisure centres could be forced to close permanently without a government bail-out, leaders in the gym and leisure sector have warned. They say that more than a third of the UK’S centres will be unable to open on July 25 and have launched a #saveleisure campaign.
More than a third of public leisure centres will be unable to reopen next week and almost 3,000 will be forced to close permanently without an urgent government bail-out, according to leaders in the gym and leisure sector.
A national “#saveleisure” campaign launches today and, while gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools can again operate from July 25, many in the most deprived areas will not be financially sustainable without further help.
The sector is asking for a specific leisure fund of £773million to support reopening and, according to its latest research, it estimates 35 per cent of public leisure centres and one in 10 community swimming pools will not be in a position to reopen later this month.
The arts sector received a £1.6 billion government bail-out last week and, with gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools having been closed since March and facing reduced usage to ensure social distancing and strict additional hygiene measures, the financial pressures are acute.
Due to their status both as charitable and local authority services, public leisure centres have been especially dependent on whether individual councils have either the means or will to help.
According to Community Leisure UK, whose members employ 100,000 staff and received 230 million public visits last year, the country will lose 2,800 public leisure centres by Christmas without a national fund.
This would amount to almost half of all such facilities, largely in the most deprived areas.
They also estimate that more than 90 per cent of public leisure in Scotland and 70 per cent in Wales is at serious risk without help. Scotland and Wales do not have a reopening date for gyms, leisure centres and indoor pools.
“The public need to be made fully aware that their cherished public leisure services are still at risk because, due to income losses, local authorities will not be capable of financially sustaining them without government financial support, which we have requested with compelling evidence,” said Mark Tweedie, chief executive of Community Leisure UK.
“Communities without leisure centres are unimaginable and, in these remarkable times, they will be vital to help millions of people maintain their physical and mental health, and build resilience to, and rehabilitate from, Covid-19.”
The #saveleisure campaign, which will be launched on social media, is a partnership between Community Leisure UK, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and Ukactive, which represents 7,000 public and private gyms, leisure centres and pools.
Huw Edwards, the chief executive of Ukactive, warned that the country risked “sleepwalking” towards the mass loss of facilities. “A secure and thriving sector will be crucial in supporting the nation’s health, well-being and recovery,” he said. Jane Nickerson, chief executive of Swim England, said she feared that 500 of the nation’s 5,000 swimming pools could close.
The Government announced additional funding of £500million to help councils and Robert Jenrick, the minister for local government, specifically referenced the lost income from leisure facilities.