Swimming Pools: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will set out the grants available to local authorities to support the funding of existing public and publicly accessible academy trust swimming pools.
Answered by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The ongoing responsibility for providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. We encourage local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve.
We are absolutely committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity, including swimming, and recognise the crucial role school facilities play in delivering this.
As part of this Government's commitment to school sport, we have announced nearly £200 million to improve school sport and PE infrastructure. We are working with Sport England, our arm’s-length body for grassroots sport, to ensure the funding tackles inequalities in access to sport and physical activity.
In addition, the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, announced in June 2025, will better connect schools with National Governing Bodies, local clubs and other providers. The model will support schools to make more effective and strategic use of their assets, including facilities.
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