FREEDOM Leisure, which runs leisure facilities for Powys County Council, has declined to comment on claims eight swimming pools in the county could be at risk.

Powys Liberal Democrat county councillor Raiff Devlin has claimed the potential closures were discussed at a briefing for town and community councils in Crickhowell.

Over recent months several meetings have been held with town and community councils in which senior county council staff, including chief executive Emma Palmer, have tried to explain what the “Sustainable Powys” idea actually means.

Freedom Leisure was asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) whether it had been told by the council that eight swimming pools are under threat of closure.

READ MORE: Fears eight Powys swimming pools could be under threat

But a spokesman said: “We won’t be making any comment at this time.”

Not for profit company, Freedom Leisure runs 13 leisure, sports centres, and swimming pools across Powys and was awarded a 15-year council contract in 2015 to run the facilities.

A review into leisure facilities which was started last year was prompted by the cost of living crisis and rising energy costs which saw the utility bills for running the centres jump up massively towards the end of 2022.

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This saw a proposal to mothball three leisure centres from January to March 2023 – but following protests from opposition councillors the decision was cancelled as an extra £287,000 was found and give to Freedom Leisure them cope the with energy costs.

Since then, Freedom Leisure has said that they had worked to bring their energy costs down.

In Powys, leisure centres cost around £3 million per year to run.

In the wake of a story published by the County Times on Thursday, the council issued an update on Friday in which it insisted no decision has yet been made.

Cllr Richard Church, cabinet member for a safer Powys, said: “We are nearing the completion of a thorough review of leisure provision in Powys and that review will be published shortly.

“However, I want to reassure our residents that no decisions have been made about the future of leisure provision across the county.

“The council is facing financial pressures which is presenting us with a considerable gap in our finances. This means we can’t afford to continue delivering our services in the same way.

“Given the challenges we’re facing, every area of the council is under review.

“Our aim is to provide good-quality and sustainable leisure facilities that are accessible to all the residents of our county.

“Sustainable Powys is about working together to design a future, and also building resilience so community-led solutions can help meet local need. It is about being here for those who need support most.

“Although we are in initial stages of planning, we are making progress in developing ideas about how we will deliver services in the future. Our work is looking at the council’s assets, the way we manage important services such as education, social care, leisure and transport.

“No decisions have been made, we are determined to work with our communities and the people of Powys in shaping future service delivery.”