Councils blame rising costs for drop in swimming pool temperatures

More than one in seven councils have lowered swimming pool temperatures in the past five years, new figures have revealed.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by the BBC found 15% of councils had reduced pool temperatures since 2020, with rising energy costs taking most of the blame.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said council finances remained in a “fragile position”, with almost a quarter of councils in England reducing or closing leisure services.

However, critics fear it could put some people off swimming. Tiffany Watson, who used to swim to help her muscular dystrophy, urged councils to reconsider.

Of the 256 councils who responded to BBC FOIs, 39 had lowered pool temperatures in the past five years.

In total, 33 local authorities had permanently lowered the temperature of at least one main or learner pool.

No council lowered the target temperature of their pools by more that one degree, or below the guidelines given by the Pool and Water Treatment Advisory Group, a pool standards body.

These recommend that pools should be 27C to 29C for recreational swimming and adult teaching, and 29C to 31C for children’s teaching.

Mrs Watson, 55, who lives in south-west England, has a rare type of muscular dystrophy called central core disease.

She stopped swimming due to the lower pool temperatures.

“I used to come out and I couldn’t get warm,” she said.

Central core disease is a genetic condition affecting the muscles, usually leading to weakness in the muscles closest to the centre of the body, such as hips and shoulders.

Swimming is a non-weight-bearing exercise, making it ideal for Mrs Watson. For 10 years, she swam five times a week.

She said: “I can walk in a pool like a normal person. I feel normal in a pool. I look like every other swimmer in there.”

However, her pool became “far too cold” for her to continue her sessions.

“Anyone with muscle wasting, they’re slower in the water,” she said.

“Being slower, you get colder quicker.”

She said she told pool staff over a period of months the pool was too cold but was met with “a number of excuses”.

Eventually she decided swimming was no longer helping her health, and she had to stop, which she said had contributed to her walking getting worse.

She said she believed the lower pool temperatures were “an easy way to spend less money”, and urged councils: “Please don’t do it – look at the other options.”

More than 30 councils that permanently or temporarily lowered pool temperatures said they did so due to the rise in energy costs following Covid and the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

Since the start of 2019, the average cost of electricity for non-domestic users has more than doubled, rising from 12.9 p/kWh to 28.39 p/kWh in 2023.

Additionally, five local authorities gave sustainability and net zero targets as a key factor in the decision to lower temperatures.

An LGA spokesperson said “rising energy and operational costs” were forcing councils to reduce or close leisure facilities.

They added that despite “tough spending decisions” faced by the government, more funding was needed to support “essential preventative services which benefit the health of the nation, such as swimming pools”.

A Department of Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said the government was “absolutely committed to building a healthier nation and reducing pressure on our NHS”.

They added they were working with the sport and leisure sector as part of a £400m pledge to support grassroots facilities, promote “health, wellbeing and community cohesion” and help “remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups”.