Machynlleth Town Council has vowed to ‘keep fighting’ the leisure centre closure proposals after the decision was pushed back.

Last month Powys County Council tabled proposals which could see leisure centres close across the county, including Machynlleth’s Bro Ddyfi Leisure Centre.

This is despite 72 per cent of Machynlleth residents describing the centre as ‘essential’ in a recent Local Development Plan (LDP) survey.

Machynlleth councillors at the November full council meeting vowed to maintain pressure to prevent the closure.

Machynlleth’s new county councillor, Alwyn Evans, said at the meeting: “Since the scrutiny committee, the cabinet has decided to not go ahead with [the decision] until it’s properly researched, probably summer 2025.

“I was sitting on that meeting and it occurred to many of us that the research hadn’t been properly done.

“They hadn’t taken school transport into account or many other aspects.

“We need to keep the pressure up.”

He also mentioned a potential vote of no confidence being pushed through against Powys County Council Cabinet members.

Cllr Gareth Jones said: “This gives us the opportunity to campaign to keep it open.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve faced this threat - 2015 was the last time.

“The way we stopped that happening then was everybody working together - creating one voice to make our voices heard.

“It was the town council that was at the forefront, organising public meetings and so forth.

“It’s not just Machynlleth residents who use this - Ceredigion and Gwynedd residents use it.

“Meanwhile two leisure centres not under threat - Welshpool and Newtown - are only 20 minutes apart.”

If the closures went ahead, the nearest leisure centre within Powys would be in Newtown - 30 miles away and a 50-minute drive.

Cllr Gwenan Phillips pointed out that Powys’ documents on the closure proposal suggest the leisure centre would need a £10m upgrade but had “no breakdown of figures” and called for more detail before such a crucial decision was made.

A petition against the closure amassing 2,043 was set up within days of the proposal.

Cllr Ann MacGarry pointed to the “huge number of positive comments” in the recent LDP survey.

In the survey, 97.4 per cent of respondents used the leisure centre, 49.6 per cent of them visiting weekly.

One respondent reported the swimming pool as “often too full” and the gym as “cramped” due to the high usage.

Another said with the lack of resources for young people, “teenagers need this space for positive social and physical activity, rather than only having parks and streets to hang out in”.

Those without cars were especially concerned about the long journey to Newtown, describing Aberystwyth pools as “crowded and overused already”.

One respondent said ”there is no substitute” for Machynlleth’s centre: “The leisure centre is absolutely vital.

“I swim in the leisure centre three times per week – it has been a lifesaver for me while I wait for hip surgery.

“It keeps me fit mentally, physically, emotionally and psychologically when I am unable to do any other exercise.”