Kate Forbes says she will work with councils to help them keep swimming pools open if she becomes first minister.
The SNP leadership candidate said she wants to reduce restrictions on council budgets so local authorities are able to spend more cash on sport and leisure facilities.
This comes as almost 5,500 people signed a petition to keep Perth Leisure Pool open.
Its board of directors meets this week to decide whether or not it stays open.
Her comments come as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pledged £63 million in his spring budget to help keep pools in England open, prompting calls for a similar fund to be opened in Scotland.
‘Swimming pools are key’
Ms Forbes was at Jamesfield Farm Shop in Abernethy when she made the comment on keeping swimming pools open.
She said: “We need to work closely with local government to invest in all local facilities.
“Swimming pools are key not just for having a healthy population, but swimming lessons keep children safe.”
She said often local authorities know best when it comes to spending money in the community.
Ms Forbes added: “We need to empower local government more and reduce ring fencing so they can make local decisions about local services that meet local needs.
“They often know better than central government how to use that funding.”
Pledge to help beyond central belt
The SNP leader hopeful added her background as a Highlands MSP means she understands how important facilities like swimming pools are to small communities.
Ms Forbes, who has been the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch since 2016, said: “Supporting places outside the central belt is high on my agenda.
“I will work with the third, public and private sector to ensure an individual in the north of Scotland has access to the same level of services as someone in Glasgow.”
PM’s swimming pool criticism
Ms Forbes’s visit to Perthshire came as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt set aside millions in his spring budget to keep swimming pools in England open.
It is hope the move will help businesses deal with the rising cost of heating, prompting calls for similar investment to be made in Scotland.
The president of Perth Swim Club even said the Scottish Government must do the same if Perth Leisure Pool is to be saved.
Earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came under fire for having his local electricity network upgraded so he could have a new private heated swimming pool.
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