Letter to Government asking for urgent support for sport and leisure services

Letter to Government asking for urgent support for public sport and leisure services.

We have co-signed a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt and Secretary of State Michael Gover, outlining our concerns about the decision to exclude swimming pools and leisure centres from the list of sectors eligible for extra support under the Energy and Trade Intensive Industries scheme and the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.

Being physically active prevents many serious physical and mental health conditions, calculated to save £9.5 billion per year (Sport England). Of this amount, £5.2 billion is in healthcare savings and £1.7 billion is in social care savings, while a further £20 billion of value comes from stronger and safer communities.

Public sport and leisure services provide affordable opportunities for communities to be active and healthy with 8.9 million users annually and 165 million unique visits; and are especially important for users in more deprived areas, where data tells us users prefer to exercise in a leisure​ centre over other informal settings.

Our members stand ready to work in partnership with Government to prevent further closures and accelerate our progress towards a sustainable leisure network.

Visit the LGA to read the letter in full.