Rye Swimming Pool Faces Winter Shutdown Amid Soaring Energy Bills
On October 31, Freedom Leisure will shut the Rye swimming pool, blaming skyrocketing energy costs for the freeze. As household budgets tighten across the UK, this local facility is set to go dark.
Energy Bills Soar, Swimming Pool Shuts
Freedom Leisure, the pool’s operator, revealed their annual energy costs have surged from £8 million to a staggering £20 million. This spike comes despite the government’s new temporary price cap aimed at easing the pinch on businesses.
“It’s been well-publicised that households and businesses are grappling with soaring electricity and gas prices,” the charity said. “As a not-for-profit leisure trust, our slim surpluses can’t absorb these huge rises.”
£92,000 a Year to Keep Rye Pool Afloat
The charity stressed it costs an eye-watering £92,000 annually just to keep the Rye pool running through the chilly months. With financial pressures mounting, it has no choice but to close the pool from November 1 until spring next year.
“We know this closure will devastate many who rely on the pool for health and wellbeing,” said Freedom Leisure. “But unless further government support arrives, we must act to protect the wider leisure service for the community.”
CEO Speaks Out
“We are very disappointed that this escalating situation has come to this,” CEO Ivan Horsfall-Turner said. “Closure goes against our core mission to improve lives through leisure, but this decision is forced by circumstances beyond our control.”
The community now waits to see if spring brings relief or if the Rye pool will remain shuttered for the foreseeable future.
