Chancellor Jeremy Hunt yesterday announced a new £63 million fund to help operators of public swimming pools with their energy bills.

The fund will be managed by Sport England, who said swimming pools are vital community resources and are in need of help with their finances.

The leisure sector is an energy-hungry segment of the economy due to the need to keep pools warm, and is therefore particularly susceptible to the recent rise in energy costs faced by many businesses and households.

Chair of Kidsgrove Sports Centre, Mark Clews – who, just over a fortnight ago, said the centre was in survival mode and considering lowering the pool temperature to cope with unexpectedly high energy bills – believes the announcement is welcome news.

He said: "We are delighted to hear the government, via Sport England, is going to provide support for community swimming facilities.

"We have been lobbying for this for some time, along with other community providers.

"The impact these have on local communities is priceless and the ability to access funding which will enable the investment in making these facilities more sustainable is really welcome.

"Operating a swimming pool is vastly expensive, however their impact on wider communities is priceless.

"It has been upsetting to see so many swimming pools close across the UK, along with operators looking to cut back opening hours or operating temperatures.

"This is something we have not had to do at Kidsgrove Sports Centre, due to the prudent steps which have been taken by the trustees since reopening."

Kidsgrove Sports Centre, Fourth Avenue, Stoke-on-Trent (Kidsgrove Sports Centre).

He said centre will now be looking at ways to increase its use of renewable energy – for instance by installing solar panels and using thermal technology.

It's believed a move to renewables could achieve savings of up to £30,000 per year for the site.

The chancellor's funding announcement means publicly-owned leisure centres with swimming pools will be eligible to apply for funding to help ease the pain of pressures on their operational and maintenance costs, as well energy bills.

Sport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said it is vital the money goes where it can make the greatest difference.

He said: "This is a significant and welcome amount of support from the government that will offer a lifeline to many public leisure centres across England as well as help sustain them into the future.

"Swimming pools play a vital role in our communities and are enormously important in helping people to be physically active in their daily lives."

It's understood almost two thirds of the funding available will be used to pay for investment in decarbonisation and long-term energy efficiency.

Council-run pools, as well as pools run on behalf of councils by private companies and by charities, will be eligible for the support.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "Soaring bills are hitting us all hard, and community pools have been thrown in the deep end.

"I know they are loved by millions of people – this vital lifeline will keep them afloat."

Local MP Jonathan Gullis was also pleased with the announcement.

He said: "I am delighted the chancellor has listened to the trustees of Kidsgrove Sports Centre and I, making sure these heartbeats in our community can continue to survive and thrive as we all tackle this unprecedented rise in the cost of energy."

Newcastle borough council leader Cllr Simon Tagg was similarly pleased.

He said: "I welcome any extra funding that community run sport centres such as Kidsgrove can tap into to help with high energy costs.

"Following the council investment in the refurbishment of centre that re-opened last summer, the council is supporting the community volunteers to ensure this first-class swimming pool and sports facility for the people of Kidsgrove continues to grow and prosper."

Kidsgrove Sports Centre is a charitable, community-owned leisure facility which was set up to provide affordable community leisure facilities.

Since re-opening, Kidsgrove Sports Centre has seen over 35,000 people visit in the past six months.

Bosses say it has been responsible for an uplift in both physical and mental health among local people since it opened.

READ MORE: Eight jobs to apply for in and around Stoke this week

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.