A POWYS town council is urging residents to make their voices heard amid a major review over the future of the county's leisure centres.
Llanfyllin Town Council wants those who use the town's leisure centre to contribute to Powys County Council’s ongoing 'in-depth' review of services across the county which comes just months after the centre was under threat of closure.
The review, which is available here, began on July 3 and aims to analyse the provision, usage, running costs, carbon emissions and conditions of all of its buildings, as well as other active leisure opportunities available to people in Powys.
The council’s consultation and engagement portal, One Powys, is currently hosting the survey asking residents to tell them what activities they participate in, the data from which will go towards designing a leisure offer for the future.
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The review comes just months after Powys County Council scrapped plans to temporarily close three leisure centers at Llanfyllin, Llanfair Caereinion and Presteigne and three swimming pools in Llanidloes, Rhayader and Builth Wells.
Llanfyllin Mayor, Councillor Peter Lewis said: “It is imperative that as many people as possible engage and show Powys how the community feels about keeping the leisure centre open.
“Llanfyllin Leisure Centre fills the needs of a big area, with the same catchment range as Ysgol Llanfyllin, meaning people from the wider community, beyond the town itself, rely on its facilities.
“The town council continues to be concerned about the future of our leisure centre. With the current cost of living climate and cuts being made everywhere we have to remain on guard.
“The concentration right now is to make our views known, to stress how important the facilities are to this community. Whether it be the gym, the courts, the swimming pool or the new 3G pitch. We need to demonstrate how much it offers and how busy it remains.
“We are currently undergoing a consultation of the leisure centre that is due to conclude at the end of July. While we will have to wait for the results, as a council we are prepared to fight in our centre’s corner going forward.
“We understand it is part of a wider review regarding the costs of every leisure centre in Powys, so we have to make it known how vital this one is.”
Powys County Council proposed temporarily closing the facilities in December 2022 to counter rising energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis but made a U-turn following public backlash.
The survey asks residents on their regular exercise habits, what facilities they use and how those habits have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic.
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