Amid rapidly rising energy costs, the UK government is creating a fund to support swimming pools.
Community Leisure UK is urging the Scottish government to provide the same type of financial aid south of the border.
The Chancellor promised a £63 million one-year fund, to be managed by Sport England.
The new money will allow local authorities to apply for funding for leisure centres facing immediate cost pressures, including operational and energy bills.
This comes as England has lost almost 400 swimming pools since 2010.
The Guardian reports that while the government's announcement will be welcome news, it risks being "overshadowed by revelations" that Chancellor Rishi Sunak's recently constructed private heated pool uses "so much energy that the electricity network had to be upgraded to meet its power demands.
" The publication sees Sunak's pool as the ultimate symbol of opposing visions: public goods for all, or private luxury for some.
The fact that many council-run swimming pools are underfunded and struggling only exacerbates the situation.
"Almost 400 have closed in England since 2010, the majority in poorer areas," affirms The Guardian.
Meanwhile, The Independent reports that while leisure bosses are calling on the Scottish government to provide the same financial aid for pools, the Scottish government's fund currently isn't available.
Still, the £63 million fund should be welcome news for English councils, who can look forward to the launch of grants to build new pools in areas that require them most.
"The fund to make pools more energy-efficient in the long term has been backed by charit-able trusts operating the facilities", writes The Independent.
The creation of the fund is a response to the rapid increase in energy costs, with aquatic facilities bearing the brunt of it.
The BBC reports that a combination of Covid-related shutdowns and rising energy prices over the past year has forced many local authorities to consider shutting down their swimming pools.
As The Independent warns, "there are fears some pools may be forced to close, and the financial aid comes as the Covid pandemic and soaring energy costs have accelerated a decade of decline in aquatic facilities."
Although this new funding is designed to ease cost pressures, it's worth noting that pools and aquatic facilities face more urgent problems and underlying issues.
"This is a one-year fund and any ongoing support must be for longer than that," cautions Chief executive of Community Leisure UK, Mark Tweedie, in The Guardian, adding "I fear we will still lose pools over the next 12 months."