Nearly £150,000 of government funding has been secured to help with the day-to-day running of the Oval Leisure Centre’s swimming pool in Bebington.
Wirral Council successfully bid for the money as part of the first round of funding from the Conservative Government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund.
The funding is intended to offset some of the 2023/4 cost increases and operational costs at the Oval including energy, water, swimming pool chemicals and cleaning supplies.
The government's Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF) will provide a total of £60 million to local authorities in England as a support package for public leisure facilities with swimming pools over the next few months. The fund is split into two phases:
- Phase 1 - Revenue: £20m is available to support facilities with swimming pools with increased cost pressures, leaving them most vulnerable to closure or significant service reduction.
- Phase 2 - Capital: £40m is available for capital investment to improve the energy efficiency of public facilities with pools in the medium to long term.
Cllr. Helen Cameron, Chair of Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee for Wirral Council, said:
“Swimming is a valuable life skill for people of all ages, important for safety as well as both physical and mental health and wellbeing.
“This funding will enable us to operate The Oval’s swimming pool at a time when it is becoming increasingly more expensive to run.
“While The Oval was not the only pool that our officers bid for, it’s great news that they’ve been successful in bringing some of this funding to Wirral.
“They have also submitted proposals for the next phase of the bid, so I’m hopeful we’ll see more funding coming to our borough to further improve the efficiency of our swimming facilities.”
The fund is being managed by Sport England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Sports Minister Stuart Andrew added:
Leisure centres and pools are vital for millions of people to stay fit and healthy, and we know that many public swimming pools are experiencing greater pressure due to increased operating costs.
We have heard their concerns and have stepped in to help them make ends meet with £20 million immediate relief, and a further £40 million to help improve sustainability of public swimming pools over the long term.
This is part of our support for grassroots sports facilities with more than £400 million in order to achieve our ambitious target of getting 3.5 million more people active by 2030.
Five-time Olympic Swimmer Mark Foster said:
Swimming pools are at the heart of communities, and there are so many reasons why this funding to keep almost 200 open in England is so important.
From babies and children learning to swim, to older adults using their local pool to get active and socialise, swimming has a huge range of benefits and I am a passionate advocate for investment in the grassroots.
For more information about swimming in Wirral’s leisure centres and for swimming timetables, visit: https://activewirral.com/.
