Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many council run lidos were in operation in England in each year since 2019.

The Government is clear on the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities. We have also confirmed an additional £60 million support package for swimming pools, which is targeted at addressing cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers and helping make facilities sustainable in the long-term.

The number of operational lidos (which includes temporary closures, of which there are currently 10) on local authority owned sites from 2019-2023 is as follows:

2019 – 82

2020 – 81

2021 – 81

2022 – 80

2023 – 81