Libraries, Leisure Centres and Local Culture Face Growing Pressure as Council Charges Rise

24th October 2026

Audit Scotland warns that cuts to community services could deepen inequalities, while councils lack the evidence to measure the full consequences.

Scotland’s councils are spending less on culture and leisure services while asking the public to pay more to use them, raising questions about the future of libraries, swimming pools, sports facilities, museums and other important parts of community life.

A report from the Accounts Commission, published by Audit Scotland, reveals that spending on these services has fallen in real terms even as overall council spending has increased. Meanwhile, income from charges has risen sharply, leaving residents facing a growing share of the cost.

The report warns that reducing these services could damage physical and mental wellbeing, increase social isolation and deepen inequalities, particularly in rural and more deprived communities.

Spending falls while charges rise

In 2023/24, Scotland’s councils spent £675 million on culture and leisure services. That was a real-terms reduction of three per cent, or £24 million, compared with 2018/19.

Over the same period, councils’ overall day-to-day spending increased by 13 per cent in real terms, reaching almost £14.8 billion. Spending on education rose by 13 per cent, while social work spending increased by 17 per cent.

Culture and leisure therefore account for a relatively small proportion of council expenditure, but have faced pressure to contribute to savings as local authorities try to balance their budgets.

The public is also paying more. Councils raised £118 million through charges for culture and leisure services in 2023/24, a real-terms increase of 27 per cent over five years.

The pressure has not ended. Councils approved a further £9.9 million in savings from culture and leisure services for 2025/26.

These figures reflect the difficult choices facing local government. Councils must meet rising costs and growing demands for essential services, including social care. However, the report questions whether the longer-term consequences of cutting other services are properly understood.

The importance of services beyond their immediate cost

Libraries, sports centres, parks, museums and community activities provide more than the facilities themselves.

Libraries offer access to books, information, learning and social contact. Leisure centres provide opportunities for exercise and organised activities. Parks and open spaces support physical health, while museums and cultural programmes help preserve local history and identity.

For older people, those living alone, families on low incomes and people with disabilities, these facilities can be particularly important. They can provide affordable opportunities to leave the house, meet others and participate in community life.

The Accounts Commission argues that accessible culture and leisure services can help prevent health problems and reduce pressure on other public services over time.

That creates a difficult calculation for councils. Closing a facility may deliver an immediate saving, but the wider effects could include poorer health, greater isolation and increased demand elsewhere.

The report does not claim that every facility must remain open regardless of cost. Instead, it highlights the need for councils to understand the consequences before making decisions that may be difficult to reverse.

Rural communities face particular challenges

The findings have particular relevance for rural Scotland, where distance and limited public transport can make local facilities more important.

In areas such as Caithness and Sutherland, a library, swimming pool or community venue may be one of relatively few accessible public facilities in a town or village. If it closes, the alternative may not be another building a short walk away. Residents could face a lengthy journey, additional transport costs or simply lose access altogether.

This can affect people differently. A household with a car may be able to travel to another town, while an older resident, a young person or someone without access to transport may have no realistic alternative.

Increasing charges can create another barrier. Even a modest rise in admission fees or membership costs can make regular use difficult for households already struggling with food, energy and housing expenses.

Councils must therefore consider not only how many people use a facility, but who those people are, what alternatives exist and whether a change would disproportionately affect particular groups.

The report highlights the risks of failing to consult communities properly or adequately assess equality impacts. In some cases, councils have had to reverse decisions, while disputes have led to legal action by communities.

For local authorities, meaningful consultation is not simply a box to tick after a preferred decision has been reached. It should help establish what a service contributes, which alternatives might work and what the consequences of withdrawing it would be.

Who should deliver the services?

The report also examines the use of arm’s-length external organisations, commonly known as ALEOs, to operate council facilities.

Twenty-three councils use such organisations to help deliver culture or leisure services. Thirteen have a single trust covering both areas, while another ten have separate arrangements.

High Life Highland, which delivers a range of Highland Council’s leisure, library and cultural services, is an example of this model.

Such organisations can bring specialist expertise, a clear focus on particular services, greater flexibility and opportunities to attract grants and donations. However, the report stresses that these benefits are not guaranteed and must be weighed against the costs and risks.

Councils remain responsible for maintaining appropriate oversight, assessing performance and ensuring public money delivers value. The report points to the importance of clear agreements, financial targets and reporting arrangements.

The question is not simply whether services should be run directly by councils or through trusts. It is whether the chosen arrangement delivers the best outcomes for residents and can remain financially sustainable.

Difficult decisions require better evidence

There is no easy solution to the financial pressures facing Scottish local government. Councils cannot ignore rising costs, and not every service can necessarily be maintained in its existing form.

However, the Accounts Commission’s findings raise a legitimate question about whether savings decisions fully account for the value of local facilities.

A closure may produce a visible saving in a council budget, while the consequences for health, wellbeing and community life emerge gradually and appear in other parts of the public sector.

Councils should therefore examine alternatives, including shared facilities, revised opening hours, partnerships with community organisations and different ways of delivering services. Such approaches will not work everywhere, and community groups should not automatically be expected to take on responsibilities without the money and support needed.

The report calls for meaningful public consultation, effective equality assessments and better evidence about the longer-term effects of decisions.

For communities in the Highlands and elsewhere, the central issue is whether financial pressures will gradually erode services that help make places good to live in.

Culture and leisure may represent a relatively small share of council spending, but their contribution to everyday life can be considerable. The challenge is to make difficult financial choices without losing sight of the wider costs that may follow.

Sources: Audit Scotland, Local government performance: Spotlight on culture and leisure services, October 2025.

Read the full Audit Scotland report (PDF)
https://audit.scot/uploads/2025-10/nr_251023_lgo_services_spotlight.pdf
24 Pages

View the report and related material on Audit Scotland’s website
https://audit.scot/publications/local-government-performance-spotlight-on-culture-and-leisure-services