Edinburgh Leisure, which manages sports and leisure facilities on behalf of the city council, has made £419,000 in cuts to its services as it aims for a £6,000 budget surplus this year following a £969,000 deficit in 2007.

Crèche services have been reduced from eight to four venues, with prices increasing by £2 for every crèche visit, and a “small proportion” of the organisation’s sports development activities in Edinburgh have been reduced.

The organisation has also suspended its external research for 12 months, withdrawn 2008/2009 Quest registration, withdrawn support for the annual Festival of Bowls tournament, and amended its delivery of services at Queensferry Recreation centre.

Last year’s deficit was mainly due to financial problems at the £30m climbing centre at Ratho, which was forced to close for a £6m overhaul which suffered a five-month delay, the Edinburgh Evening News reported.

According to the report, which was confirmed by Edinburgh Leisure spokesperson Michael Pinkerton, other factors contributing to the deficit included a drop in swim membership at the Royal Commonwealth and Portobello pools after sauna access was removed from the basic package, and below-budget income from the Princes and Braid Hills golf courses.

In its budget statement, Edinburgh Leisure noted that usage of its facilities had increased by four per cent in 2007, with income increasing 11 per cent, but that pressure from increasing utility and other costs, combined with pressure on local government funding, had made the cost-saving measures unavoidable.

The possibility of more cost-saving measures due to the prospect of higher utility bills and the planned closure of the Royal Commonwealth Pool for refurbishment has been discussed over the past few months, a spokesperson for Edinburgh Leisure said.

Measures could include a price increase of over 3.5 per cent across facilities, a further review of crèche facilities, and the closure of Leith Waterworld earlier than the planned date in 2011.

Edinburgh Leisure’s chief executive, Keith Jackson, said in the budget statement that “this has been an especially difficult time” but that the organisation’s commitment to working with city council and others towards helping the people of Edinburgh lead a healthier lifestyle remains.

“The money promised by the council to the refurbishment of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Meadowbank and Glenogle Swim Centre, together with our own investments, underlines a commitment to making our city the most active in Europe by 2020,” he said.