Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support reflecting on the work undertaken by the Board this year around tackling physical inactivity and presenting an update position surrounding the development of the new sport and physical activity strategy for Leeds.

At the beginning of the new municipal year, the Board had expressed an interest in the work being undertaken by the Council and partners in tackling physical inactivity.

The Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support submitted a report which reflected evidence that had since been presented to the Board and the key issues raised.  It also provided an update position surrounding the development of the new Sport and Physical Activity Strategy for Leeds and asked the Board to consider proposed next steps in moving forward to achieve the city’s long term ambition to evoke a cultural change in which being physically active is the norm.

The following were in attendance for this item:

-  Councillor James Lewis, Executive Member for Resources & Strategy

-  Rob Young, Independent Consultant

-  Mark Allman, Head of Sport and Active Lifestyles

-  Gill Keddie, Development Manager, Sport and Active Lifestyles

-  Katy Bowden, Development Manager, Sport and Active Lifestyles

Rob Young gave the Board a presentation on the developing Physical Activity and Sports Strategy.  This focussed on the following areas:

-  Context and current position.

-  Benefits of an active lifestyle and activity levels within Leeds.

-  Relation to other strategies in Leeds.

-  Key messages.

-  Ambitions and future success.

-  Outcomes, priorities and obsessions.

Key areas of discussion included the following:

·  Activity levels within Leeds – based on sample data, the Board learned that approximately 238,900 people in Leeds aged over 16 years are not active enough for good health and that 50% of all children are also not achieving the required levels of physical activity.

·  Addressing health and social inequalities – the Board recognised that physical activity can be an important part of the solution to addressing health inequalities as well as tackling social isolation, raising aspirations and attainment amongst young people and improving people’s confidence and physical capabilities to support them to find employment.

·  Economic impacts – the Board recognised that a more active workforce can also lead to a more healthy and productive workforce.

·  Raising the profile of Leeds through major sports events – there was particular acknowledgement of the World Triathlon and Tour de Yorkshire events.

·  Enabling more inclusive forms of physical activity – particular reference was made to the benefits of walking in terms of this also being the most inclusive form of physical activity.  Linked to this, the need for improved registration and maintenance of footpaths and public rights of way was again highlighted by the Board, with a Board Member demonstrating the disparity of provision by providing a map of Leeds City Council Wards ranked by footpath registration.

·  Time for a refreshed new strategy – harnessing the good work arising from the Sport and Active Lifestyles Strategy 2013-18, the Board welcomed the aspirations of the new city-wide Physical Activity and Sport Strategy to drive transformational change based around a whole systems approach.

·  Targeted interventions – in developing a new Strategy for the whole population of Leeds, it was acknowledged that particular communities and groups would need more targeted interventions to support the behaviour change process.

·  Engagement with GPs – in emphasising the key role of the primary care sector and GPs in particular in raising awareness of the benefits linked to physical activity, the Board was pleased to learn that many GPs are now being more responsive to this agenda and that Public Health colleagues are also continuing to encourage even wider engagement in recognition that more still needs to be done to embed this approach.

·  Future governance arrangements – it was acknowledged that change is needed surrounding future governance arrangements to incorporate a broader scope with greater emphasises on physical activity than has traditionally been the focus through Sport Leeds.

·  Next steps – the Board noted that the Sport Leeds Board is expecting to consider an update on the draft of the Strategy on 19^th April 2018. Further consultation on the draft will then follow before the formal launch of the Strategy.

In conclusion, the Board welcomed the aims and objectives of the proposed new Strategy but also emphasised the need for these to be embedded across the Council and other organisations.  The Board therefore agreed to produce a formal Statement setting out its views in terms of moving forward with the new Strategy and also emphasising the need to make ‘being an active city’ a city wide obsession. Linked to this, the Board also acknowledged that a significant amount of work is yet to be undertaken over the coming months and years in terms of achieving the ambitions of the Strategy.  It therefore advised on-going Scrutiny involvement in this area of work by successor Scrutiny Boards.

RESOLVED –

(1)  That the report and discussion be noted.

(2)  That the Board’s Principal Scrutiny Adviser drafts a formal Statement reflecting the views of the Scrutiny Board in terms of moving forward with the new Physical Activity and Sport Strategy and emphasising the need to make ‘being an active city’ a city-wide obsession.

(3)  That the draft Statement be circulated to Board Members and formally agreed via correspondence before being published on the Council’s website.