Swansea Council could spend up to £210,000 this year subsidising energy costs for Swansea Arena in a move questioned by the leader of the opposition. Cllr Chris Holley said he understood the rationale for the Labour-run council providing energy relief for leisure centres and the Wales National Pool, Sketty, but that he wasn't convinced about large-scale support for a venue run by a private company, Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG).
Addressing a cabinet meeting, the Liberal Democrat councillor said: "The reason I ask that is there are lots of businesses in Swansea that have gone bust. There's lots of restaurants, there's lots of public houses and there's lots of clubs which are all suffering." Cllr Holley acknowledged that the council had backed local businesses financially in recent years, but said that, in his view, the level of support offered for ATG "seems to be proportionately larger than many others".
At that point of the meeting cabinet hadn't approved the energy relief, but a report said the energy bill for Swansea Arena - which ATG runs on behalf of the council - was £694,429 in 2022-23, way more than the £177,338 initially forecast in a business plan. This was due to the unprecedented spike in energy costs fuelled by the war in Ukraine. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
