Rishi Sunak’s new heated swimming pool uses so much energy his local electricity network has had to be upgraded to meet its power demands, according to Guardian reports.
Extra equipment was recently installed in a remote part of North Yorkshire to provide extra capacity from the National Grid to the prime minister’s constituency home.
It will reportedly cost the PM up to £13,000 a year to heat the pool, more than six times the average energy bill for a family home.
The PM has also been given planning permission for a gym and a tennis court, despite local public facilities facing the threat of closure.
This week, the House of Commons culture select committee called on the government to offer extra help to swimming pools in the forthcoming budget, suggesting 350 pools had closed or cut their hours as a result of energy costs.
Only last month, the operators of a swimming pool near the prime minister’s home said it would reduce public access because of the increased cost of energy.
A spokesperson for the prime minister declined to comment on the works at his constituency home.
Sunak is believed to have paid for the work on his home using personal funds, and there is no suggestion he used his status to receive preferential treatment from Northern Powergrid, which maintains the network in the region. Developers and businesses often pay to upgrade the local grid when constructing new buildings.
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