TIME is running out to save Highworth’s leisure centre – and the town council wanted the borough to contribute more towards the rescue effort.

The Halo Highworth Recreation Centre is in dire straits after struggling through lockdown and needs urgent financial support to keep its doors open.

Highworth Town Council is keen to help but has not yet agreed on how much to give, partly due to some confusion over how much money is needed and how much Swindon Borough Council would pay.

The borough had pledged to match-fund £30,000 of Highworth’s contribution towards supporting the centre.

A plan to pay monthly instalments totalling up to £130,000 over two years has changed as the committee thinks the leisure centre now hopes to have £80,000 paid immediately and another £50,000 before Christmas.

Highworth mayor Richard Williams said there was a worry that if the town paid the first sum up front and the centre closed, the money would be gone.

He added: “These numbers are a lot higher than what we were discussing before. The committee feels it’s a bit heavy expecting Highworth to take on that level [of funding] and we feel that SBC should possibly put in a bit more.

“The numbers have gone up, the timeframe has come down and the failsafe of the monthly payments has fallen away so we need to go back to SBC and say we can’t do it on our own and £30,000 won’t be enough.”

Coun Julie Murphy asked for a written proposal from the borough council of what is being offered.

Centre manager Scott Rolfe stressed at the end of August that the town council had a matter of weeks to come to a decision.

Mr Rolfe said at the last public finance committee meeting that the trading deficit since April is £80,000 and a £50,000 deficit is forecast for the rest of the year but the centre has performed £7,500 per month better than forecast for the last two months.

He stressed that a second lockdown would not necessarily lead to a permanent closure.

He added: “All forecast figures need to be treated with a bit of caution. At no point have we said please give us all this money up-front, we have only ever asked for money retrospectively.

“The £80,000 is a firm figure and we would like funding to support that, it would be greatly appreciated.”

Councillors told the town clerk to arrange an urgent meeting between members of both town and borough councils as well as area MP Justin Tomlinson.

This was later called off after a letter from the borough clarified that the £30k was its final offer. A final meeting to decide Highworth's contribution to saving the rec centre will be held next Tuesday.