Swim Wales has issued an update following the announcement of the UK Government’s Spring Budget 2023 on Wednesday afternoon.
Swim Wales is bitterly disappointed with the UK Government’s decision to exclude Welsh facilities from the targeted package of financial aid they will provide to support leisure centres and swimming pools in England.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, announced a support package of £63m for English leisure providers to help with energy costs and energy efficiency. In total, £40m of the fund will be made available for investment in decarbonisation and long-term energy efficiency, while £23m will help with costs to make the facilities more energy efficient.
Although additional funding was provided to Welsh Government within the Budget, Swim Wales and the Welsh Sports Association were disappointed by the decision from UK Government to create an England-only scheme and omit Welsh leisure facilities from any additional financial support through these challenging times.
Our leisure facilities are vital hubs that provide essential services to every member of our communities and must be protected at all costs.
Swim Wales is working closely with our partners at the Welsh Sports Association, Sport Wales and Welsh Government to find a solution to ensure our facilities remain open amid the energy crisis. We will continue to advocate for our facility partners and will provide a further update over the coming days.
