VIP access to the annual State of the UK Swimming Pool Industry report…
“Swimming pools aren’t a luxury – they’re vital community infrastructure,” declares Paul Woodford, Strategic Engagement Director at Alliance Leisure in the recently published State Of The Industry Report. “They offer far more than a place to swim,” says Paul. “Pools are safe, structured environments where children and adults alike can learn life-saving skills. They are vibrant hubs where families connect, friendships are formed, and memories are made.” Paul continues: “They [swimming pools] provide inclusive, accessible exercise opportunities for people living with disabilities or long-term health conditions. In many areas, they remain the only viable way for people to stay active. Yet despite this undeniable social value, the number of swimming pools across the UK is in steady decline,” Paul continues. “The latest industry data shows a net loss of pool sites year after year, a trend we must urgently reverse. Rising operational costs, ageing infrastructure, energy pressures and staffing shortages are driving operators to make difficult choices.”
Paul adds: “Understanding these challenges and designing pool spaces that are efficient, flexible and commercially viable, is key to ensuring sustainable future for aquatics. We know commercialising pool space isn’t about compromise, it’s about creating more opportunities for everyone. Through intelligent design, sustainable technology and strategic programming, we maximise usage, boost revenue and extend the life and value of each facility. Of course, challenges remain. But with increasing recognition of the role physical activity plays in health, wellbeing and prevention, now is the time to reframe how we think about swimming pools, not as cost centres, but as pillars of public health and community life.”
Paul was quoted in the annual report on the performance of the public swimming pool sector, published by Leisure DB. The report provides robust market intelligence and analysis across the full scope of an increasingly diverse sector. For over 30 years, Leisure DB have provided UK commercial operators, suppliers and government bodies with invaluable analysis of sector performance and trends.
The data and insight gathered by Leisure DB provides businesses across the sector to make strategic decisions with precision and confidence – suppliers and operators, independents and multi-site operations, public and private, direct and through leisure consultancies.
“Those still operating are working hard to do more with less water, meeting demand through innovation, collaboration and determination,” says David Minton, the Founder of Leisure DB.
David points out how swimming pools are a sanctuary, supporting mental wellbeing, social connection and physical activity. David highlights a Local Government Association report, which found 72 per cent of schools use public pools to deliver their statutory swimming lessons and 85 per cent of young people learn to swim in public pools. David emphasises: “This echoes Community Leisure UK data, whose members report more than one million people a year learning to swim in their pools.” The continued net losses in pool provision highlighted in the report shows there is no hiding from the fact this remains a sector in need of far more support.
In the report, Andy Salmon, CEO of Swim England, reveals: “Analysis we conducted with ukactive shows that 76 per cent of the publicly accessible water space lost in the past 15 years has been lost since 2020. Equally concerning is that of the 10 local authorities with the biggest declines in pool space, 70 per cent have higher than average indices of deprivation, risking an exacerbation of health inequalities.”
WATER VOLUME
In the 12 months to the end of March 2025, the total number of UK sites operating a pool fell to 2,882 (-0.5% since 31 March 2024). This makes the fall less dramatic than in the previous year, when we saw a 2% overall fall in the number of sites operating pools. Breaking it down by sector, both public and private sectors experienced a drop in the number of sites with pools this year. However, the decline was more marked in the public (-0.6%) than in the private sector (-0.3%). This contrasts with the previous year’s data, when both sectors saw the same percentage fall (-2%). Yet although the decline in total pool numbers has slowed, the overall trend remains concerning, as reported by a number of this year’s interviewees.
On the plus side, the 2025 State Of The 
Industry report shows lidos and outdoor swimming have experienced a revival, with innovations including open-air cinema, Christmas Day swims, poolside restaurants, moonlight sessions, wild swimming and even naked swims. Leisure Energy is an award-winning renewable technology company, energy consultancy and principal contractor, who specialise in identifying and delivering energy and sustainability solution for all leisure facilities. “The drive toward net zero by 2030 has brought more urgency to this work, and for many operators, attention is rightly turning to swimming pools,” says Leisure Energy Director, Mike Worsnop. Most of the UK’s 2,900 public and private pools still rely on fossil fuels for heating, and many are over two decades old. Until recently, carbon reduction measures were limited to lower-cost improvements with shorter paybacks such as LED lighting, pool covers, better controls and staff training.
These are all valuable steps, but they only get us so far. “In recent years, we’ve seen a real shift, particularly thanks to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. This funding has allowed public sector organisations to go much further by replacing outdated fossil fuel systems with heat pump technology and other renewable solutions. “We’ve supported over £100 million worth of successful applications, helping local authorities and leisure operators across the country make the move away from gas,” Mike reports.
WATER SAFETY
There has been growing concern about declining swimming ability and water safety awareness amongst children and young people. This worrying trend has serious implications for their safety in, on, and around water. Without the confidence to swim, knowledge to self-rescue and the ability to identify and respond to risks, many children are left vulnerable in potentially life-threatening situations. Recent data shows a significant decline in the number of children who can confidently swim 25 metres by the end of primary school. In 2017/18, it was reported that 76.8% of children met this standard. By 2023/24, it had dropped to 70.2%**. This decline signals a serious and growing risk to child safety. “In the last five years, the number of children who have lost their lives to drowning in England has doubled; “ points our Jo Talbot, Commercial Director of the RLSS. “Our sector can help to change this trajectory, but we need to protect the number of swimming pools and prevent more closures. “Swimming pools provide safe environments for children to learn to swim, gain essential water safety skills and enjoy the water safely. This data highlights the urgent need to protect the sector’s swimming pools and allow everyone the chance to use them.” Rising operational costs, ageing facilities, and persistent staff shortages mean the UK’s swimming sector stands at a crossroads. But, Lara Morgan, co-owner and founder at SCENTERED says. “I believe swimming pools can and should serve as the health hubs our communities urgently need. “Swimming isn’t just about sport or leisure. It’s a frontline tool in tackling inactivity, mental health issues, and preventable disease. Over 14 million adults in the UK swim each year, making it our second most popular activity.” Lara emphasises: “Regular swimming is proven to save the NHS and social care system around £357 million annually by helping to prevent conditions such as dementia, stroke, cancer, and depression. These are real, measurable outcomes.”
TEACHER SHORTAGE
The ongoing shortage of swimming teachers in the UK has become a critical issue, impacting operators, swim schools and local communities. Lifeguards and Swimming Instructors continue to be among the most in-demand roles out there. In 2024 alone, there were 4,721 job postings for Lifeguards and 2,734 for Swimming Instructors, the second and fourth highest in the sector. While demand remains high, recruiting and keeping people in these roles is still a real challenge. Lifeguard job postings have fallen by 12.6% since 2022, and Swimming Instructor roles by 9.2% since 2023. “Like many parts of our sector, swimming is feeling the knock-on effects of broader issues, from changes in policy to shrinking public funding,” says Tara Dillon of CIMSPA. “Such is the scale of the challenge, that some operators have been forced to abandon waiting lists all together,” reports Lou Crossland, Chief Commercial Officer at CoverMe. “The lack of available swimming teachers means they simply can’t meet demand. With recent figures showing that child drownings have doubled* CoverMe’s research shows that swim school managers typically spend between four to eight hours per week arranging cover, which equates to approximately £5,200 in staff costs per site annually. The costs for multi-site operators can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Platforms like CoverMe are proving that technology can play a critical role in transforming the way swim schools manage staffing.” Lou continues: “Swimming isn’t just about sport or leisure. It’s a frontline tool in tackling inactivity, mental health issues, and preventable disease. Over 14 million adults in the UK swim each year, making it our second most popular activity.”
Regular swimming is proven to save the NHS and social care system around £357 million annually by helping to prevent conditions such as dementia, stroke, cancer, and depression. These are real, measurable outcomes.
OVERCROWDED LANES
Yet despite the benefits, access remains uneven. “Too many pools are undersized or under-resourced, especially in underserved areas,” Lou points out. “Chaotic changing rooms, overcrowded lanes, unpredictable timetables and outdated facilities deter families, older adults, and people with additional needs. To fix this, we need innovation, investment, and a clear focus on accessibility. We must rethink how we staff and support our facilities. Strategic staffing models and lifeguard training are essential to tackle shortages. We need community- based funding and deeper partnerships with local authorities and health providers. Just as importantly, booking systems must be upgraded to support flexible, user-friendly access.” Stuart Martin is an industry consult and also a school governor. “Learning to swim is not a luxury; it’s a fundamental life skill,” he says. “Yet nearly one in three children leave primary school unable to swim 25 metres unaided.” Stuart continues: “But swimming’s impact doesn’t stop at childhood. It helps people live longer healthier lives, supports physical rehabilitation, and combats social isolation in older adults. Regular swimmers have a 28% lower risk of early death and are 41% less likely to die from heart disease or stroke.” He adds: “There’s a powerful economic argument too. Every £1 invested in sport and physical activity returns £4 in social value through reduced NHS costs, stronger mental health, and increased productivity.” Andy Salmon Swim England CEO agrees: “Ill health is estimated to cost the economy £150bn a year, which is 7 per cent of GDP. The health agenda therefore represents a major opportunity for sport and physical activity as a whole to help tackle a huge societal issue – and within this, swimming is particularly well placed. We know, through our research and our partnership with Mental Health Swims, about the huge benefits of swimming for mental health. We also know that among people with a long-term health condition or disability, participation in swimming is far higher than participation in other forms of physical activity. Even among individuals with up to three health conditions, swimming participation sits just below 20 per cent. As a result, swimming already contributes £2.4bn of social value to the UK economy every year, primarily in NHS savings through the prevention of 80,000 cases of ill health. With our agenda of lifelong participation, we can do even more. But we need to keep banging the drum. We need to emphatically make the case that our nation – and with it, our economy – will be healthier if we get people in the water. We’re already seeing the big public sector operators focusing on the health and wellbeing agenda, tuning in to the needs of their local authority partners.”
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