A £607,000 upgrade of the Thirsk Swimming Pool complex in North Yorkshire is £200,000 short of its target.

The Darlington & Stockton Times claimed that Hambleton District Council hopes that Sport England will foot the remainder of the bill for the project – which includes an extension to the centre’s fitness suite and the installation of better changing rooms.

The council’s facilities manager Steven Lister was quoted by the newspaper saying: “We are trying to improve the facilities for the local community. We hope that by doing so we will increase sports participation among the key areas, like the young, the elderly and the disabled.

“In principle Sport England has said it’s a worthwhile project but it needs to go through at a national level. We are hoping for a quick outcome but it’s been a long process.

“If Sport England says no then we will have to look at other funding opportunities or look to see if the scheme can be pared down.”

The project has currently received funding from the council (£151,000), North Yorkshire County Council (£5,000) and the government’s Section 106 scheme (£237,000) – whereby building contractors donate money to local council’s when they can’t incorporate leisure facilities into its own developments.

A decision from Sport England is expected in March.