Agenda item

To examine the overall offer promoted by the Sports and Leisure Service.

7.         SPORTS AND LEISURE SERVICE REVIEW

7.1       The Committee received a report on the sports, leisure and physical activity opportunities in Westminster which was delivered through a mixed economy of voluntary, public, private and charitable organisations.  The Committee heard that the core areas of the Sports and Leisure Service included: Sports and Leisure facilities, PE and School Sport, Sports Development and outdoor learning (including the operation of the Sayers Croft Centre).  The Committee noted that the service generated approximately £13.5m in revenue income and attracted over four million visits to facilities and services every year.

7.2       Richard Barker, Director of Community Services and Andrew Durrant, Head of Sports and Leisure advised that the Council was responsible for the overall management of its own sports and leisure facilities and also took an active role in developing community use and opportunities in other facilities across the city.  They particularly emphasised that the offer seeks to address key issues, particularly the impact of inactivity on the health and wellbeing of residents which is a particular issue in areas of high deprivation.

7.3       The key issues that emerged from the Committee’s discussion were:

• the promotion of everyday activities to the inactive population by finding champions within these groups who could encourage and drive people to participate in sport.

• the importance of enhancing the Council’s website and marketing strategy to ensure that Westminster’s sports facilities were clearly advertised and promoted to the public and the possibility of designing on-line surveys to enable the Council to collect its own statistically data.

·         the importance of a good media strategy to promote the Summer Sports Programme for young people.

·         the Health and Wellbeing Programmes and the benefits of bringing together sports based initiatives and the retail sector to tackle the growing obesity problem in young people.

·         the availability of recreational activities such as dancing and walking and woman only provision.

• the MCC Lords School Offer and the list of schools who had signed up and booked in for some of the opportunities.

• the methodology used to provide ward estimates of the percentage of adults who participate in activity or recreation.

• the accessibility of sports and the impact of health inactivity on the health and wellbeing of residents in areas of high deprivation. 

• the need for ward councillors to share information on local activities.

7.4       The Committee noted the brief update on the redevelopment of Moberly and Jubilee Sports Centre.

7.5       ACTIONS

1.    That the briefing note listing the schools that had signed up for the MCC Lords School offer be re-circulated to the Committee.

2.    That the link for the latest ‘Sport England Profile’ for Westminster and the ‘Joint Strategy Needs Assessment’ (JSNA) for Physical Activity which was produced by Public Health in liaison with Sports and Leisure be circulated to the Committee.

3.    That the Sports and Leisure Service send the Committee their Performance Report which includes the Sports and Leisure Service’s Business Plan and data about targets, indicators and participation.

7.6       RESOLVED:

1.    The Committee welcomed the report which showed a very good overall offer provided by the Sports and Leisure Service. 

2.    The Committee voiced concerns around the methodology to provide ward estimates of the percentage of adults who participated in activity or recreation and requested that officers reviewed the best measures to assess need in order to better target the sports and leisure offer.