Question reference: S6W-16564
- Date lodged: 31 March 2023
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Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 April 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has invested in public swimming pool facilities in each year since 2016, also broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The Scottish Government places great importance on leisure facilities and believes everyone should have access to these services.
We understand the challenging financial circumstances of operating and maintaining leisure facilities faced by local authorities, largely due to the cost of living crisis.
For its part, the Scottish Government has increased the resources available to Local Government by over £793 million in 2023-24, a real terms increase of £376m or 3%. However, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.
In addition sportscotland, our national agency for sport, works in partnerships with Scottish Governing Bodies of sport (SGBs), local authorities, leisure trusts, sports clubs and community organisations, schools, colleges and universities to provide opportunities for all to participate in sport. Since 2016, sportscotland has invested £621,200 into swimming pool facilities, via its National Lottery-funded Sport Facilities Fund programme. An annual breakdown is provided below.
2021-22 Aberdeen City - £100,000
2020-21 Argyll & Bute - £200,000
2018-19 Scottish Borders - £70,000
2017-18 Aberdeen City - £200,000
2016-17 Highland - £51,200.