by political editor Paul Francis

Councils that offered free swimming for youngsters and pensioners have been cut adrift after the new government axed funding for the programme.

The decision was taken by Kent MP and sports minister Hugh Robertson, who said cutting the initiative gave him 'no pleasure.'

However, the impact will be limited as only five councils in Kent joined the previous government’s initiative: Dover, Medway, Thanet, Shepway and Canterbury.

Others declined to take part in the scheme giving free swimming for under-16s and pensioners, saying it was too costly to run despite government grants.

Mr Robertson, MP for Faversham and Mid Kent said: "This is not a decision that gives me any pleasure.

"Research shows that the great majority of free swimmers - around 83 per cent of those aged 60 and over and 73 per cent of those aged 16 and under - were swimming already and would have paid to swim anyway.

"With a crippling deficit to tackle and tough decisions to take, this has become a luxury we can no longer afford."

The government has said that cancelling the programme, which will close on July 31, will save £40m.

While councils will be free to decide if they want to carry on using their own money, that seems unlikely with huge cuts in other services being contemplated.

Recent figures sugested that the scheme was having some success, with almost 50 per cent more new swimmers since its introduction.

Medway council, which secured additional funding from the NHS to fund the scheme, said it was reviewing its options in the wake of the government’s announcement.