Business leaders in Witham fear a leisure centre could close.
Members of Witham's Chamber of Trade and town centre strategy group are asking Braintree Council to clarify the future for Bramston Sports Centre.
It comes in light of a new multi-million pound swimming centre opening this weekend in Braintree, and proposals to turn John Bramston School - which shares use of the sports centre - into an academy.
Paul Ryland, chairman of the town centre strategy group, said he understood that Bramston is being "subsidised to the tune of £500,000" a year.
David Arnott, chairman of Witham's Chamber of Trade, added: "Now we've got Braintree Swimming Centre, the concern is that Bramston would be closed down and sold off and then the money won't get put back into the town."
Mr Ryland said if this happened and the money did not go back into Witham, it would be "absolutely criminal."
Graham Butland, leader of Braintree Council, said no decision has been made yet but something would need to be done with Bramston Sports Centre as "at the moment it is requiring a lot of money to keep it going."
"Something needs to be done there's no doubt about that because it's an aging facility."
A Braintree Council spokesman said that all the leisure centres in the district had always been subsidised.
For the full story see the Witham and Braintree Times
