Falkirk Council: School swimming pools could close, along with town halls and other leisure facilities

Buildings including Bo’ness and Grangemouth town halls will be among the facilities that would need to be transferred to avoid closure as part of the council’s long-awaited strategic property review.

The most imminent change would be the closure of four swimming pools at Grangemouth High School, Larbert High School, Graeme High School and Falkirk High School, although the final decision on this will be made by Falkirk Council’s executive.

The final report on the property review is to go in front of councillors next Tuesday, December 6, when they will be asked to agree to start a massive cull of properties that will affect leisure services in particular.

The report makes clear that all of the council’s sports centres – with the exception of the Mariner Centre and Grangemouth Sports Complex – will have to find a way to “transfer, lease or move to an alternative delivery model” or they will close. It states: “The review of property has identified that we have too much property that is expensive, in poor condition, under-utilised, not energy efficient and not fit for modern service delivery.”

Core properties – including schools, nurseries, care homes, day centres and the crematorium – will not be affected for the time being. But non-core facilities, including gyms, sports centres and community halls will be targeted to move away from council responsibility to other arrangements such as a lease, management agreement, private management, trust or charity management.

If agreed, the changes would happen in three phases between now and April 2026, although they promise community engagement before any final decisions are made. In phase one, properties that are currently vacant will be closed immediately.

The second phase would see properties come under review and if there is no hope for transfer, lease or alternative delivery model, they will close by April 2025. These include Bo’ness Recreation Centre, Polmont Ski Centre and Stenhousemuir Sports Centre. The third phase includes Bo’ness Town Hall, Grangemouth Town Hall, and Larbert’s Dobbie Hall, as well as Denny Sports Centre. Any that have not been transferred or found an alternative way to deliver services will close by April 1, 2026.

The council says it simply cannot afford the level of subsidy that its leisure facilities get – almost double the Scottish average, according to benchmarking figures.

The report reveals that if the council was to undertake the massive backlog of repairs that are currently needed across its estate, the cost is likely to be over £200 million.

Many of the older buildings are also not energy efficient and getting rid of them, along with the swimming pools, would help the council meet carbon targets.

The cost of energy is also a huge worry for Falkirk Council, which is currently paying £4.321 million a year for electricity and £3.876 million for gas, across all its properties. By 2024 to 2025, the council estimates that electricity costs could top £9 million, while gas will be well over £5 million. That comes on top of an unprecedented budget gap, with £69 million needed over the next four years to make income match costs.

The strategic property review has been underway for some time and several buildings have already closed, including most public toilets. The report suggests though that toilets in Callendar Park and Blackness will also shut.

The council hopes the most wanted facilities will transfer to community ownership, following the example of places like Woodlands Games Hall, Grangemouth Golf Club and Denny Men’s Shed. Community halls are also in the process of being transferred with Westfield and Tamfourhill already having done so.

The council acknowledges, however, that progress has been slow and communities will need much more support and financial help to take over facilities.

The report does not target ‘specialist facilities’ such as the Hippodrome, Callendar House and Kinneil Museum although they will be subject to separate reviews.