Councils have cut more than £42m from their sport and leisure budgets since 2010, according to new research.
The survey, conducted by the BBC, revealed that London and north-west England were the regions hit hardest with cuts of more than £12.3m
The survey found that many facilities had been closed as a result of budget cuts including Woolton Swimming Pool in Liverpool to save more than £3m and the only 50m pool in Coventry.
Cllr David Sparks, chair of the Local Government Association, said councils had ‘little choice’ but to squeeze budgets.
