Council chiefs warned of “no fat left to cut” with leisure centres and libraries across Wales facing the threat of closure due to “unprecedented” financial constraints.
The Senedd culture committee took evidence on 24 October as part of an inquiry on the impact of cuts on the arts, culture and sport.
The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) warned spending on culture, recreation and libraries has fallen by up to 43 per cent over a decade.
With the WGLA warning of a £432m funding gap across Welsh council services, Amanda Davies, managing director of Byw'n Iach which runs 12 centres across Gwynedd, cautioned: “There’s no fat left to cut. We’re running on a basis of individual staff running some facilities – you can’t cut back further … it’s not possible.”
Ms Davies raised concerns about a ‘crisis’ in terms of ageing leisure facilities across Wales, with increasing costs and some centres set to close for maintenance.
Asked about cultural venues, Roland Evans, assistant head of economy at Gwynedd council, said numbers are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
He warned that without the shared prosperity fund (SPF), which replaced EU structural funds, the council would be facing a “cliff edge” with little arts and museums activity.