Perth Leisure Pool made “substantially” less money than expected in the last year.
Bosses are linking the reopening of the Olympia pool in Dundee to a 30% drop in income from casual swimmers.
But Live Active Leisure (LAL) is also blaming plant and mechanical issues at Perth Leisure Pool for a dent in takings.
The 37-year-old venue has been hit by a series of closures in recent months.
And swimmers were warned to expect further disruption following a major boiler failure in December and January.
The figures have emerged as councillors grapple with how to replace Perth Leisure Pool.
Plans for a new PH2O leisure centre at Thimblerow in the city centre have angered campaigners who want an upgraded pool built on the existing site at Glover Street.
Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre take financial hit
The downturn in income is set out in a new financial report from LAL.
The arms-length charity manages sports and leisure facilities on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council.
It is forecasting a deficit of between £225,000-£300,000 by the end of the financial year.
That’s within the range it had budgeted for.
But LAL’s total customer-generated income for the year to the end of February was 12% below budget.
Another reason was a delay in providing new health and fitness facilities at the Dewars Centre.
These opened at the end of September after gym equipment from the flood-damaged Bell’s Sports Centre was moved over.
The report to Wednesday’s meeting of the council’s scrutiny and performance committee says there have since been around 67,000 visits to the Dewars gym.
And by the end of February, LAL’s fitness membership stood at 3,159.
That’s 88% of the level it was at in September 2023, immediately before the flood that led to the closure of Bell’s.
Perth leisure venues are source of contention
The future of all three of Perth’s biggest sport and leisure venues is currently uncertain.
Councillors have approved plans to build a new PH2O leisure centre on the site of Thimblerow car park.
Officers are also in discussions with local curlers about a lease agreement which would allow them to take over the running of the ice rink and indoor bowling facilities at the Dewars Centre.
But campaigners say the proposals fall far short of what the city has at present.
They want the council to upgrade the facilities at the current Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars site.
A report in February claimed this option would cost £105m, compared to the £61m budgeted for Thimblerow.
The council says the Thimblerow PH2O plan would also leave money in the capital budget to turn Bell’s Sports Centre into an unheated event space with indoor sports pitches.
More than 2,000 people took part in a public consultation on the flood-damaged building’s future last year.
And around two-thirds of respondents backed the council’s plans.
However, more than 3,000 people have signed a petition calling for it to remain as multi-use indoor sports venue.
Councillors will re-examine the plans for PH2O, Dewars and Bell’s in June.
• The Courier has campaigned for an ambitious new leisure complex in Perth that caters for all sports, including leisure swimming and curling.
Respondents to our consultation named leisure swimming as the number one priority in any new centre.
Conversation