Agenda item

To receive a report from the Director of City Development and a presentation surrounding the broad work that is being carried out by the Active Leeds Service to promote healthy and active lifestyles across the city.

The Director of City Development submitted a report setting out the broad work that is being carried out by the Active Leeds Service to promote healthy and active lifestyles across the city.

The following were in attendance:

-  Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Executive Member for Environment and Active Lifestyles

-  Phil Evans, Chief Officer for Operations, City Development

-  Steve Baker, Business Manager, Active Leeds

-  Natalie Curgenven, Operations Manager, Active Leeds

-  Gill Keddie, Development Manager, Active Leeds

-  Katy Bowden, Development Manager, Active Leeds

Officers delivered two PowerPoint presentations. The first presentation provided an update on the progress of the Active Leeds agenda in the last 12 months, some of the challenges experienced as a result of the pandemic and subsequent closure of Council facilities, as well as opportunities to use physical activity to support the recovery from COVID-19. The second presentation provided an update on ‘Get Set Leeds’ - the physical activity ambition for Leeds – highlighting key trends for current activity levels and the need to kick-start further conversations around how to make Leeds a more active city.

Members discussed a number of matters, including:

·  Staff welfare in leisure centres. In response to a query, Members were advised that staff have welcomed coming back on site and work with their managers around their own wellbeing. Staff have had a very active role in developing services to be COVID secure.

·  Opportunities to develop technological solutions to activity.  Reference was made to the development of an App to deliver livestreaming classes from mainstream fitness classes to health programmes circuit classes.  The Board requested that details of this App, including more general information on services currently available, be shared with all Elected Members to help promote such services more widely.  Some Members had expressed concerns around digital exclusion, particularly with regard to those who are vulnerable and in most need of physical health intervention. Members were advised that there was a much higher older age audience for digital resources than expected, however, officers assured Members that staff, in partnership with other support services, have enabled some in-person support for physical activity to vulnerable groups.

·  Impact of changes in membership costs and closure of facilities on budgets. Members queried whether any additional financial support had been provided by government to help with service recovery following the inevitable loss of income. In response, it was noted that while some income compensation had been provided by government, local authorities were expected to subsume the first 5% of lost income.  It was also noted that any support funding would need to be factored into the council’s overall financial strategy.  With regard to membership numbers, it was noted that while there was an initial decline in membership numbers, the service is working hard to build that back up again and has already started to attract new customers.

·  Focus on supporting areas of high deprivation and BAME communities to engage in physical activity. In response to a query, Members were advised that teams will continue to work with community committees around targeted funding to reach disengaged groups.

·  Recognition of other wellbeing activities. Members queried whether current measures include activities that are not traditionally sports. It was noted that while Sport England has not traditionally acknowledged other non-sporting activities, such as gardening, as part of its strategy framework, there is now a shift more generally towards a more inclusive ‘move more’ model.

RESOLVED –

a)  That the contents of the report, along with Members comments, be noted;

b)  That the information requested from Members (as set out above) be provided.