Leisure centres could fall into a state of disrepair and even be
forced to close without urgent new investment from government,
councils warn today.
The Local Government Association, which represents more than 370
councils in England and Wales, says government will miss a chance
to transform the nation’s health if it does not inject new
funding into leisure infrastructure in the Autumn Budget.
It warns that the majority of council-owned sports halls and
swimming pools are at risk of becoming “old and
tired” as local authorities’ budgets become increasingly
squeezed, leaving them unable to afford the cost of
refurbishments.
Councils are just about managing to keep leisure facilities
running but in many cases, these facilities are coming to the end
of their lifespan.
Investment in leisure infrastructure would get more people
physically active and help to tackle some of the major health
issues facing the country, such as obesity, diabetes and heart
disease.
With many sports halls and swimming pools reaching the end of
their 25 year life-cycle, the LGA says government has an
opportunity in the Budget to invest new money that “breathes new
life” into the country’s leisure facilities and improves the
health of communities.
Latest figures show that more than 58 per cent of sports halls
and 60 per cent of swimming pools are now more than 20 years old.
Nearly a quarter of these have not been refurbished in 20 years.
This follows years of funding cuts to councils’ budgets, where
between 2010 and 2020, local authorities will have seen
reductions of £16 billion to their core government funding. The
LGA says the funding gap facing councils will be £5.8 billion by
the end of the decade.
Councils are currently having to plough all their existing
resources into meeting the increasing demand for services such as
adult and children’s social care and tackling homelessness, at
the expense of investing in leisure facilities.
In its Budget submission to Treasury, the LGA is calling on
government to introduce a £400 million funding pot to pay for
improvements to infrastructure for health and wellbeing.
It says that this would allow councils to upgrade and renovate
facilities to the standard needed to support healthy, active
communities.
Councils are exploring opportunities for commercial investment to
develop new wellbeing centres, but this is not always suitable
for certain areas, in particular those in small urban and rural
locations where there are smaller populations.
The submission adds that new funding from government is needed
now to avoid having to completely replace facilities, which could
cost in the region of £1.5 billion further down the line.
Cllr , Chair of the LGA’s
Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said:
“Leisure facilities are the cornerstone of a physically and
mentally healthy community and are used by thousands of families
every day.
“They get people active and keep them fit and healthy, which in
itself is a major long-term cost saving for the country as it
prevents the need for treatment further down the line that in
turn puts significant extra pressure on social care and NHS
services.
“But no-one wants to go to a leisure centre that is old, tired
and run down. Councils need to be given the resources to offer
the kind of high-standard, modern facilities that the public
rightly expects which in turn helps them keep fit and healthy.
“Following significant government cuts to councils’ funding and
growing demand for services such as caring for the elderly,
protecting children and reducing homelessness, many local
authorities can no longer foot the bill of maintaining decent,
quality leisure facilities.
“Councils are doing all they can to keep leisure centres up and
running, but many are in desperate need of refurbishment.
“Government has a chance in the Autumn Budget to breathe new life
into our leisure centres which saves them from falling beyond
repair and forcing them to close.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The
percentages used in this press release are based on 2015 data
collated by Sport England, which surveyed 743 sports halls and
1,640 swimming pools in England. This included only local
authority-owned facilities.
2. For
more details on our call to invest in leisure infrastructure, see
the LGA’s Autumn Budget submission https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/5.20%20budget%20submission_06.pdf
3. Two
thirds of adults and one third of 11 to 15-year-olds in England
are either obese or overweight. By 2034, the proportion of adults
overweight or obese is set to reach 70 per
cent. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-obesity-applying-all-our-health/adult-obesity-applying-all-our-health
4. Latest
data also shows that four in 10 adults do not do the minimum 150
minutes or more physical activity each week https://www.sportengland.org/media/12458/active-lives-adult-may-16-17-report.pdf
5. Focus
on physical activity can help avoid unnecessary social
care http://www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j4609
