The government has been warned that thousands of pools, leisure centres and gyms are struggling to pay their energy bills.
Earlier this week, the Treasury unveiled the new energy bill support package for businesses.
The new ‘Energy Bills Discount Scheme’ is designed to support businesses, charities and the public sector – these businesses and other non-domestic energy users will receive a discount on high energy bills until 31st March 2024.
The new subsidies are expected to cost around £5.5 billion and will last for one year, the government confirmed.
Huw Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of ukactive, said: “The government’s new Energy Bills Discount Scheme will fail to give thousands of pools, leisure centres, and gyms the support they need to avoid further service restrictions, closures and job losses.
“Having experienced a rise in energy costs of up to 300% compared to 2019, the new scheme will make little material difference to the greater energy cost pressures these facilities will now face from 1st April.
“The failure to categorise certain services, especially swimming pools, as ‘intensive’ energy users requiring more bespoke support is a significant oversight given the overwhelming evidence provided to the government on their energy use.”
The association which represents leisure centres, gyms and pools added that under the previous government scheme, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, it was estimated that nearly 40% of council areas were at risk of losing their leisure centres or seeing reduced services at these facilities before 31st March.
A government spokesperson told ELN: “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 and are now giving councils an additional £3.7 billion to deliver key services such as leisure centres. Activity levels are beginning to return to per-pandemic levels and we continue to work with Sport England to improve access and drive participation for all, including investing £260 million to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities.”
