The petition of the residents of Truro and Falmouth constituency,
Declares that the town of Falmouth, a community with a strong maritime heritage and a large population of children, young people, and older residents, currently has no public swimming pool; further declares that access to swimming facilities is essential for water safety education, physical and mental health, rehabilitation, and community cohesion; and notes that the lack of such infrastructure disproportionately affects those without the means to travel to facilities elsewhere.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to support the campaign to build a swimming pool in Falmouth, recognising the health and social benefits to the community, particularly as a facility for children growing up in a coastal area learning to swim safely.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Jayne Kirkham, Official Report, 5 November 2025; Vol. 774, c. 1026.]
[P003126]
Observations from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock):
I would like to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth for raising this issue on behalf of her constituents.
Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and leisure centres play an important role within communities as vital social spaces and community hubs. The Government are committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The ongoing responsibility for providing access to public leisure facilities such as this lies at local authority level, which in this case is Cornwall council. The Government encourage local leaders to prioritise access to sport and physical activity wherever possible, but local authorities need to be responsible for decisions regarding sport and leisure provision in their area. That said, the Government are committed to supporting the provision of grassroots sports facilities and to working with local leaders to understand what communities need.
To this end, in June the Government committed £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government’s plan for change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.
This funding is on top of the £250 million that Sport England invests every year in grassroots sport and physical activity in England. Sport England is also providing long-term investment to Cornwall as one of its place partners, with £2.9 million being provided for five years, from 2022 to 2027, to invest in sport and physical activity initiatives that will help to tackle inactivity.
I look forward to discussing this again with my hon. Friend at our upcoming meeting.