Health, sport, fitness and leisure sectors write joint letter to PM Rishi Sunak

By Active Partnerships | 22 February 2023 | TAGS: active partnerships

Leading bodies for health, sport, fitness and leisure urge Prime Minister to intervene as grassroots facilities face ‘final straw’ if energy relief ends.

A coalition of more than 200 bodies and individuals* from the worlds of health, sport, recreation, and leisure has written to the Prime Minister with an urgent plea for greater support for grassroots facilities and clubs amid the ongoing energy crisis.

With energy costs relief for the UK’s swimming pools, leisure centres, community facilities, and gyms ending on 31 March, thousands of facilities and clubs are at risk of permanent closure or reduced services, as public and private sector organisations of all sizes face unprecedented financial challenges, with bills remaining up to 200% higher than normal.

For public leisure operators running services within local authorities, the latest data from ukactive’s members shows that 31% of council areas in England remain at risk of losing their leisure centre(s) or seeing reduced services at their leisure centre(s), from 1 April**, with around 350 facilities nationally already having seen service restrictions, temporary and permanent closures since October 2022.

The signatories of the letter range from major health bodies to sport’s national governing bodies, and the nation’s biggest fitness and leisure groups, while athletes such as Rebecca Adlington and celebrities including Davina McCall have also added their support.

The letter warns that, “Failure to identify bespoke support for the sector (and schools operating sports facilities) as part of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme will be the final straw for many facilities and services – especially swimming pools.

“Without national intervention, communities will see the loss of essential local services, including swimming lessons for children which are vital for water safety; multi-sport offerings; mental health services; bespoke programmes for older citizens, ethnically diverse communities, women and girls, and disabled people; and long-term health programmes including cancer rehabilitation and support for those with musculoskeletal conditions and type 2 diabetes.”

Within the letter, the coalition calls for the Government to:

• Reclassify swimming pools as energy intensive as part of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme so they have access to the higher level of discount on energy prices.

• Set out what tangible support it will provide to the wider sector – including gyms, leisure centres, sports facilities, and clubs –to help navigate the energy crisis across 2023 so that service restrictions and facility closures can be minimised.

• Set out a “plan for growth” for the sector by aligning the proposed new Sports Strategy with the Spring Budget to unlock the potential of the sector to support the economic, health, educational and social wellbeing of the nation.

The letter was coordinated a group of bodies, including: Active Partnerships, the Association for Public Service Excellence, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, the Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association, Community Leisure UK, District Councils’ Network, the Local Government Association, Sported, the Sport and Recreation Alliance, the Sport for Development Coalition, Swim England, the Swimming Teachers’ Association, the Youth Sport Trust, and ukactive.

Andy Taylor, CEO of Active Partnerships said:

"We know being active can transform people’s lives, improving their physical and mental wellbeing.  Many of our facilities providing activity opportunities and delivering these benefits are at the heart of local communities.

"It is therefore vital that we support facilities to not just survive but create the conditions for them to thrive in continuing to provide opportunities for people who are too often facing the greatest barriers to leading an active lifestyles.”

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said:

"Over two hundred organisations and prominent individuals are united in urging the Government to safeguard essential community facilities across the country that remain under threat of service restrictions and closure, impacting people of all ages and backgrounds.

"Pools, gyms, leisure centres, and community facilities form part of our social fabric, and they are vital for our nation’s health and the economy. Action must be taken to protect our facilities, and to help them recover and grow so they can in turn support the growth of a healthier, happier, more productive nation.”

Jane Nickerson, Chief Executive of Swim England, said:

"The breadth of organisations who have joined forces to send such a clear message to the Government demonstrates the hugely important role our pools and leisure centres play in supporting the health of the nation and the seriousness of the situation these facilities are facing as a result of hugely increased energy costs.

"It’s vital they get the support they need so they can remain at the heart of local communities, helping people lead healthier and happier lives and reducing pressures on the NHS and social care system.”

Read the full letter here. To support the sector, contact your MP with your concerns.

*The signatories:

Active Partnerships; Association for Public Service Excellence; Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity Community Leisure UK; Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association; District Councils’ Network; Local Government Association; Sported; Sport and Recreation Alliance; Sport for Development Coalition; Swim England; Swimming Teachers’ Association; Youth Sport Trust; ukactive

1Life Management Solutions; Abbeycroft Leisure; Active IQ; Active Nation; Activity Alliance; Alliance Leisure Services; Anytime Clubs UK; Archery GB; Arthritis Action; Association of British Climbing Walls; Atrium Fitness; Aquatic Therapy; Association of Chartered Physiotherapists; Badminton England; Barnsley Premier Leisure; Baseball Softball UK; Basketball England; BH Live; Boccia England; British American Football Association; British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers; British Canoeing; British Cycling; British Dressage; British Equestrian; British Fencing; British Gymnastics; British Ice Skating; British Judo; British Mountaineering Council; British Paralympic Association; British Rowing; British Shooting; British Showjumping; British Swimming Pool Federation; British Taekwondo; British Triathlon; British Water Ski & Wakeboard; British Weightlifting; British Wheelchair Basketball; British Wrestling; Club Kingswood; Code Fitness; Coordinate Sport; David Lloyd Leisure; Durham County Council; Edinburgh Leisure; Edstart Sports Coaching; eGym GmBH; EMD UK; Endurance GB; England and Wales Cricket Board; England Athletics; England Bowls; England Boxing; England Golf; England Handball; England Hockey; England Lacrosse; England Netball; England Squash; English Indoor Bowling Association; Everybody Health & Leisure; Fisikal; Fitness First Clubs; Fitness4Less; Freedom Leisure; FTC Gym; Fusion Lifestyle; GB Boxing; Gladstone; GM Active; Goalball UK; Good Boost; Great Britain Diving Federation; Great Britain Outrigger; Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby; Greenhouse Sports; GLL; Halo Leisure; Hurlingham Polo Association; InBody UK; InspireAll; International Longevity Centre UK; Junior Adventure Group; Karate Union of Great Britain; Keepme; Laban Guild International; Leeds City Council – Sport; Leisure-net Solutions; Lifestyle Fitness; Limbpower; Miha Bodytec; Mosaic Spa & Health Clubs; Move it or Lose it; Move Technologies; Myzone; North Lanarkshire Council; Nuffield Health; Orbit4; Orthopaedic Research UK; Outdoor Industry Association; Parkour UK; Parkwood Leisure; Pentathlon GB; Places Leisure; PureGym; Quartz Sequoia Events; Richmond Group of Charities; Rounders England; Royal Life Saving Society UK; Royal Yachting Association; Rugby Football League; Rugby Football Union; Scottish Leisure Network Group; Sense; Simply Smiles; Skateboard GB; SLM Community Leisure Charity Trust; SLM Health and Fitness; Snowsport England; Snowsport Wales; Sport Aberdeen; Sport for Confidence; Sports Leaders; Squash Wales; Stevenage Leisure; Surfing England; Swim Wales; Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association; Table Tennis England; The Food Addiction Coach; The Golf Foundation; The Gym Group; Thomas Pocklington Trust; Total Fitness; Trilogy Active; UK Athletics; UK Ultimate; Vivify; Volleyball England; Wales Golf; Wales Netball; Water Babies; Watford FC Community Trust; Welsh Athletics; Welsh Cycling; Welsh Judo; Welsh Sports Association; Welsh Triathlon; Women In Sport; Women’s Sport Collective; Zoom Media

Rebecca Adlington OBE; Chemmy Alcott; Claire Cashmore MBE; Ed Clancy OBE; James Cracknell OBE; Ben Cutmore; Sharron Davies MBE; Laura Deas; Sam Downie; Mark Foster; Chelsie Giles; Luke Greenbank; Duncan Goodhew MBE; Mike Goody; Charlie Guest; Michael Gunning; Alfie Hewett; Anna Hopkin MBE; Andy Jameson; Liz Johnson; Matty Lee MBE; Davina McCall; Scarlett Mew Jensen; Adrian Moorhouse MBE; Steve Parry MBE; Keri-Anne Payne; Jonnie Peacock MBE; Karen Pickering MBE; Scott Quin; Rebecca Redfern; Ellie Robinson MBE; Will Sach MBE; Kate Shortman; Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix; Alice Tai MBE; Leon Taylor; Iwan Thomas; Daley Thompson CBE; Isabelle Thorpe; Dr Mike Tipton MBE; Lloyd Wallace; David Weir CBE; Professor Greg Whyte OBE; Marc Woods; Melanie Woods

** Risk register assessment survey conducted by the ukactive Research Institute with ukactive public sector leisure operator members. Responses were received from 21 national and multi-site operators, representing 35% of all UK council areas (February 2023)

Downloads

• Letter to the PM