LAST WEEK, the government announced a £100 million package to support local authority leisure centres through the pandemic.
Locally, the borough council works with six Places Leisure centres; St Crispin’s, Carnival Pool, Arborfield Green, Loddon Valley, Ryeish Green and Bulmershe.
But with the venues closed during the height of the pandemic, the centres lost their income stream.
Secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Oliver Dowden, said that councils will have to bid for their share of the funding, with money allocated to the centres most in need.
Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure said has been following the announcement.
He told Wokingham.Today: “We of course welcome any government funding for any of our services and are now waiting to hear about the scheme’s finer details.
“To access this funding, if relevant, we would continue to work closely with our leisure centre operator Places Leisure.”
Nationally, the chief executive of Sport England, Tim Hollingsworth supports the funding.
In a statement, he said: “This £100m is welcome news for public sector leisure operators and is much needed given the challenges they are facing due to the pandemic.
“These facilities are vital for local communities, helping more than 12.8 million people across England to get active and driving 36% of all physical activity across the country.
“At a time when we recognise more than ever the importance of being active for both our physical and mental health, we must do everything we can to ensure the long-term survival of these facilities.
“We will continue to work closely with the Government on the next steps.”
