Politicians have called for more money to be made available to prevent the closures of Powys leisure centres.

Powys County Council announced on Friday that it was considering four options for the future of leisure provision in the county, more than one of which suggested disposing of centres that are not part of the five-town Sustainable Powys model that is in development.

But now politicians from different parties have called for more money to be made available to the council to allow the centres to be retained.

The county's Plaid Cymru leader Cllr Elwyn Vaughan called the decision "a political choice".

"That is why we need positive political action," he said. "That is why the Barnett funding formula for Wales needs to be changed to reflect our needs.

"The Crown Estate income should be devolved to Wales and benefit our communities rather than HMRC and the Crown. The £4bn HS2 consequential funding should come to Wales."

Wales' Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS, and Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick, also called for more money to be made available to the county council, to allow centres to be modernised with new insulation and solar panels to allow them to be protected in the future.

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David Chadwick MP said: “Our pools and leisure centres are vital to the future of our communities. With a crisis in mental health especially for young people and the need to tackle obesity and its impact on the NHS, any closure would be a massive step in the wrong direction. 

“This is not to mention the use in rehabilitation for those with injuries or with conditions like arthritis.

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“The Conservatives cut council budgets to the bone throughout their time in office, but we now need the Welsh Labour Government to step up to the plate and provide funding to keep our leisure centres open.

“I will be fighting to keep these vital public amenities open across our communities.”

The Party have started a petition which can be found here: https://www.brlibdems.uk/campaigns/save-powys-leisure-centres

Commenting on the campaign to keep Powys leisure centres open, Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds said: “Local government has been starved of cash for far too long and Welsh Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay need to start paying attention to Mid Wales.

“Leisure centres play a critical role in supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of children throughout Powys and losing them would present a real blow to the local community.

“Given the money that leisure centres save in the long term for our NHS, this would be a win-win investment for the Government.”