A major rejuvenation of sports and leisure facilities across Leeds is to take place thanks to a £30million cash injection.

The money is part of a successful bid by Leeds City Council for Government funding from the Department of Culture Media and Sport and it could see up to three brand new sports centres being built in the city.

The last custom built swimming pool and sports hall in Leeds was the Kirkstall Leisure Centre, built in the early 1980s.

“This is fantastic news for Leeds. Investment in the city’s sports facilities is long overdue and we’ve worked hard to make sure Leeds got its share of this money.

“I want to particularly congratulate the officers in our sports section and Private Finance Initiative who put in a tremendous bid and secured this money for the people of Leeds which will give us modern up-to-date facilities.

“This is the start of a longer term investment and commitment in improving sports and leisure in the city. “

“ We recognise that it is vital that we get more people engaged in sport and fitness in Leeds. We need to utilise this money to bring up to standard what we have got and use it to rejuvenate our sports centres and get people of all ages and from all walks of life through our doors and keeping fit!

“We are at the very early stages of this project and will now be sitting down to look very carefully at where this money needs to be spent. Our priority is to ensure that the people of Leeds get the very best in sports facilities for them to enjoy.”

Leeds City Council is one of six local authority projects that were chosen to go forward for a share of £130million in public funding provided nationally under the Department for Culture Media and Sport’s Private Finance Initiative, to be spent towards the cost of a library or sport project.