Funding for Calne Leisure Centre will be cut by £13,000 next year after town councillors voiced fears over the forthcoming budget and hearing of a potential rise in the precept.

Last year the leisure centre received £25,000 from Calne Town Council to subsidise activities for elderly, and disabled people and toddlers, but next year it will receive only £12,000.

This could affect the leisure centre’s 50-plus fitness programme and a GP referral scheme offering 12 weeks of health advice.

The leisure centre benefits around 1,950 Calne residents each year, and a large number of people turned up to a meeting on Monday to support another grant application of £25,000.

But councillors were not prepared to award the full amount after hearing of plans for a five per cent increase in next year’s precept, which would mean an extra 42p a month in council tax for a band D household.

They also said the leisure centre would benefit from a £2 million refurbishment in the near future as part of Wiltshire Council’s county-wide campus programme.

Coun Glenis Ansell said: “I’m concerned that last year the finance working group recommended an increase in the precept.

“This year we’re going to have to do that because the amount we’re getting from the government is being reduced.”

The leisure centre was taken over by the community in 2007 and is now run by volunteer members of a leisure centre board.

With a full £25,000 grant it planned to spend £8,000 on the 50-plus fitness programme, £1,800 on a chair-based exercise class, and £2,200 per year on the GP referral scheme.

Last year the leisure centre made a £42,810 profit, but this makes up its reserves and would only help to pay staff wages for just over three weeks.

Kevin Wells, chairman of Calne Leisure Centre Ltd, said: “We must say thank you for the grant in the first place. It’s disappointing, but we understand it’s difficult times. We’re going to look at our budget again, just as the town council have done, it has a knock on effect obviously.”