Late night swim luxury we can't afford - Monmouthshire council

Late night swimming is a "luxury" which can no longer be afforded, a Welsh council has been told. 

Monmouthshire plans to cut leisure centre opening hours under proposals to save £11.4m in the next financial year.

The centres open until 10pm on weekdays and 6pm at weekends, but cabinet member for communities Sara Burch said it is planned to close them when little used.

Governing body Swim Wales has warned that almost a third of the nation's pools could shut due to energy bills.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Monmouthshire's Labour cabinet has proposed a review of opening hours as an alternative to closing any of its four leisure centres in Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth. 

Ms Burch told a budget scrutiny committee: "The proposal is to reduce the opening hours of our leisure centres when we know they are very seldom used. 

"I know some people are uncomfortable with that and enjoy a late night swim, I do myself, but keeping them open for fewer than 10 people in the last hour of the day is a luxury I think we can no longer afford." 

She also said it is planned to reduce opening hours during the summer to reflect how the centres are used at different times of the year, with lighter evenings giving people more options to exercise outside rather than indoors. 

It has also said closing pools at 9pm would affect less than 1% of its total monthly visits during the summer. 

The council is also planning an energy saving drive. It said that would help it reach its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030, and save £772,000 in the coming financial year by reducing energy use across all of its properties. 

That includes steps such as turning lights off, as well as spending money on more LED lighting and solar panels. 

The Mon Life service, which is responsible for the leisure centres, will also spend £56,000 on pool covers which will have to be used every night to retain heat in the swimming pools. 

Service manager Ian Morrison said keeping the pools warmer will allow the council to reduce the overall temperature in the leisure centres. 

He said about 75% of the £600,000 increase in Mon Life's £4.9m budget is to deal with increased costs for heating the four pools. 

The budget has also proposed a reduction in the hours the council's six community hubs in Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow, Gilwern, Monmouth and Usk are open. 

But cabinet member for equalities Angela Sandles said following talks with staff, the hubs may be able to maintain their current opening hours due to reduced staffing.

Nearly a third of the 500 public swimming pools in Wales could close due to high energy bills, the head of swimming's governing body warned earlier this year.

Fergus Feeney, of Swim Wales, said many needed urgent financial help from the Welsh government, and to be included in the UK's energy discount scheme.

In response, both the UK and Welsh governments said they had given significant support to pools.