Residents fighting to save their leisure centre from closure have been offered fresh hope at a public meeting attended by nearly 500 people.

The meeting at Knighton Community Centre was called in response to Powys County Council’s plan to close the town’s leisure centre and swimming pool.

At Tuesday evening’s meeting the county council cabinet member responsible said he hoped a "positive proposal" could be found in the light of a better than expected budget settlement from the Welsh Government.

Councillor Graham Brown told the more than 480 people who’d crammed into the hall: "The settlement from the Welsh Government was better than we thought so hopefully now we can come up with a positive proposal regarding Knighton Leisure Centre.

"I’m certainly hopeful that we will be able to come out with a positive outcome because I think it is a lot more positive than we all thought."

The council had proposed closing the centre as part of a range of measures to save £200,000 from its leisure budget.

Leisure centres in Powys have, since last year, been run under a contract by private firm Freedom Leisure.

The latest cuts are in addition to the £18 million the council has predicted it will save through its contract with Freedom Leisure.

During the meeting Cllr Brown and the council’s leisure services chief Paul Griffiths took questions from the audience, including members of Knighton Primary School’s pupil council.

The school council’s junior mayor, Emelia Watts, asked: "Are you worried about our children playing by the river when they haven’t had lots of time learning to swim?"

Deputy junior mayor Will Thomas asked if a children’s rights assessment of closing the centre had been carried out, an issue raised by the children’s commissioner for Wales Sally Holland.

The council pair were also asked how would those without a car be able to access the pool in Presteigne.

Mr Griffiths and Cllr Brown said all those issues would be considered when making a decision.

Powys council has been working towards saving £29.8m by 2019 but was handed better than expected news on its budget last month when the Welsh Government announced the settlement it awards to Powys council would only reduce by 0.5%, rather than a feared 4% cut, from next year. But the council has said that still means its main source of funding is being cut by £1.5m in real terms.

Emelia and Will also present Cllr Brown with a 1,800 signature petition asking that the centre be kept open.