Leisure centres could be forced to close if they can’t gain government funding, according to a Government body.

The Local Government Association which represents more than 300 councils in England and Wales, says the majority of council-owned sports halls and swimming pools are at risk of becoming ‘old and tired’ as local authorities’ budgets become smaller, leaving them unable to afford the cost of refurbishments.

However, Shropshire Council is confident its indoor leisure facilities strategy for 2018 to 2023 will make leisure centres sustainable through a two tiers – leisure hubs in larger market towns and community leisure centres in smaller towns.

Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for culture and leisure, said: “There is no doubt councils find themselves in a difficult position, balancing reduced funding and rising costs for statutory services and retaining culture and leisure provision. It was against this backdrop that Shropshire Council published its indoor leisure strategy.

“The strategy underpins our vision to encourage and support people to be healthier and more active. It lays out our preferences, taking into account the valuable feedback we’ve had from residents and our partners, and of course our financial situation.

“We have no intentions to close any of our leisure centres, but we do need to prioritise how and where our limited resources are spent now and in the future. We think that, by creating a hierarchy of leisure facility provision, we can best provide reasonable access to Shropshire residents, notwithstanding the very rural nature of the county.

“There is lots of work to be done and we are working closely with interested parties to explore commissioning arrangements, which have the potential to make many of these facilities sustainable and successful in the long term.”

Oswestry Leisure Centre is managed by two trusts – Shropshire Community Leisure Trust and Teme Leisure Trust. The centre is located next to North Shropshire College and the students on the Business Studies course are keen to get involved to keep it going.

Lucy Edwards, programme leader of business studies at North Shropshire College, said: “It is definitely something we would consider getting involved with. My details are being passed on to the manager at the leisure centre to see if there is anything my students can do.”