Better Leisure reduces opening hours as energy bills triple

A leisure centre chain has said the rising cost of living is forcing it to reduce its opening hours with a "temporary winter programme".

Better Leisure, which runs 268 centres across the UK, said its energy costs had more than tripled since 2019.

The charitable social enterprise said it was not sustainable after the "recent struggles" of the pandemic.

Parent company GLL said the "extraordinary" programme would affect more than 200 of its centres.

The changes, which begin in December and run until Easter, will vary for each centre and are "designed to minimise disruption and to avoid changes for schools and swimming lessons", the company said.

"In practice, some centres will open an hour later or close one hour earlier on some days," it added.

"This will enable us to turn off lighting, plant and equipment at the time of maximum energy use, when it is coldest and darkest. This is also when we are least busy."

GLL said its energy costs were now more than three times what they were pre-pandemic and had increased to 25% of total costs.

"Heating a public swimming pool complex now costs over £300,000, up from under £100,000," it said.

Swim England has also warned more than 100 pools are under threat of closure or reduced hours due to the energy crisis.

It made its "dire forecast" at the start of November and said without government help "large numbers of public sector leisure facilities are unlikely to make it through to next spring."

A government spokesperson said: "We know many leisure centres and swimming pools are contending with major increases in running costs, which is why we have introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

"It will mean they pay wholesale energy costs, well below half of expected prices this winter."

Elsewhere in Europe, France is cutting the temperature of its public swimming pools by 1C.

Heating in most public buildings in France, Spain and Germany is being capped at 19C to help tackle the crisis. Italy is also limiting heating in public buildings.

Better Leisure's network of sport facilities stretch from St Ives in Cornwall to Newcastle Upon Tyne, with the majority centred around Cumbria, Manchester, Oxfordshire and London.

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