It’s time for the government to match our sector’s ambition

Huw Edwards CEO ukactive

The latest Active Lives Adult Survey shows a continued and steady increase in physical activity levels across the country and is a further reminder of the essential role the sport, recreation and physical activity sector plays in supporting the nation’s physical activity levels. For the second year running, fitness activities continue to drive activity levels and when combined with swimming figures, mean that gyms, pools and leisure centres provide the biggest source of activity other than walking.

Combined with our recent market report, which showed a record number of gym members in the UK, these figures provide irrefutable evidence of the essential role our sector is playing in driving physical activity levels, and demonstrates the growing demand from consumers to improve their physical, mental and social wellbeing through exercise in these spaces.

However, despite the headline numbers, much more needs to be done to ensure more people can reap the benefits of engaging in physical activity and ensuring our sector can play its fullest role in driving this uptake. The UK is currently 11th out of 15 comparable European nations for activity levels, and small increases such as the one shown in the Active Lives survey are not enough to make the UK the most active nation in Europe, with all the associated health and economic benefits that this would bring.

Our sector is responsible for generating £107.2bn in social value in England each year, including £10.5bn in secondary value by reducing cases of disease and relieving the huge pressure on health and social care every year. Studies show that physical activity helps to prevent 20 chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, many types of cancer, MSK conditions, depression and anxiety, and dementia.

We need to unlock our sector’s full potential to transform national health

But significant inequalities remain in physical activity levels across demographics, and an alarming decrease among younger people aged 16 to 34. It is clear the current policy approach is failing to deliver meaningful increases in physical activity. As a nation we must demand more to ensure people from lower socio-economic and ethnic minority groups are supported to be active.

The outcome of the Government’s upcoming Spending Review is pivotal to ensure the sport, recreation and physical activity sector can drive up these levels and provides the Government with an opportunity to demonstrate the value it places on the nation’s health and wellbeing and reducing the pressure on the NHS. The Spending Review represents a clear opportunity for the Government to recognise our sector’s potential and put in place the measures to capitalise on consumer demand, reduce our barriers to growth and turbocharge physical activity levels. Doing so would ensure the physical activity sector is a solution to help transform our nation’s health and economic growth.