Sport England has granted £171,644 to improve Ilkley Swimming Pool and Lido as part of the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF).
The SPSF is providing a total of £60 million to local authorities in England as a support package for public leisure facilities with swimming pools. It is being delivered in two phases and the money being received by the pools in Keighley and Ilkley is part of phase 1, which sees £20million being made available to support facilities with the rising costs of energy and utilities.
The Leisure Centre in Keighley will receive £302,822 from the fund, meaning a total of £474,466 given to the Bradford district.
Cllr Simon Cunningham, Assistant Executive Member for Culture at Bradford Council said, “Leisure centres and swimming pools are a vital resource for the wellbeing of our communities. They are a place where people can go to focus on their health and fitness, where children can learn to swim and families can spend quality time together.
Ilkley Swimming Pool and Keighley Leisure Centre are both fantastic facilities and I am delighted that Sport England has granted funding to support the running of them.
We are currently in the process of applying for additional funding from phase II of the Swimming Pool Support Fund and if successful, additional facilities across the district will be receive similar support.”
Sport England's Director of Place, Lisa Dodd-Mayne said, "We know just how vital swimming pools and leisure centres are to our nation’s activity levels, which is why Sport England is proud to have played a central role in the delivery of this fund.
“Many pools have faced a real and significant threat to their survival this year, as local authorities and operators battle the challenge of increased energy and maintenance costs, weakened reserves and difficulties with retaining staff.
“Today’s announcement is an important moment in time, but is by no means the end of the work facing us or the support available as we continue to work with our partners to ensure the long-term viability of these vital community resources.”
Phase II of the Swimming Pool Support Fund will be announced in January 2024.