Call for energy help for Flash as prices raise eye brows

The Leader of Powys County Council is urging Montgomeryshire MP, Craig Williams, to pressure the Chancellor to provide energy price support for The Flash, and other local leisure centres, in his Spring Budget on Wednesday, as our co-founder accused the centre’s operator of “pricing out local families”.

MyWelshpool co-founder David Williams said he was shocked to pay £16.60 to swim at the Welshpool leisure centre for an hour with his two young children on Sunday afternoon, noting that the venue was quieter than he could remember despite the miserable weather.

“In the past, a Sunday afternoon with weather like it was would see the swimming pool and café busy, but it was quiet so I fear that Freedom Leisure is pricing out local families at a time when swimming is being promoted as such a vital activity for all,” he said, noting that there was, however, a session for Under 17s to swim for free an hour later.

"The place was clean and tidy and the staff were all fantastic, but those pool prices need to come down."

With Chancellor Jeremy Hunt working through the final details of his budget with the Whitehall number crunchers, Cllr James Gibson-Watt, the council’s Liberal Democrat leader, said that urgent Government intervention for the leisure industry was needed after Freedom Leisure CEO, Ivan Horsfall Turner, said the not-for-profit entity’s annual energy bill had risen from £8 million to £20 million.

“The benefits leisure centres provide communities with are incalculable and help keep our county healthy. The UK Government must give them the help they need,” said Cllr James Gibson-Watt.

“Fay Jones (Brecon and Radnor MP) and Craig Williams (Montgomeryshire MP) must support Lib Dems’ call for leisure centres to receive support in the upcoming budget, before it is too late.

“Craig in particular has a direct line to the Prime Minister being his Parliamentary Private Secretary.”

Late last year, Freedom Leisure, who operate local leisure centres on behalf of Powys County Council, announced a number of winter closures to cut costs, but were forced into a u-turn following a public backlash.

The charitable leisure trust says it “believes in health at all ages, we want the local communities we serve to have fun, feel welcome, included and empowered to live healthy lives”.

But prices have risen again this year, and it is in danger of putting people off, according to our co-founder.