Purpose

To approve the Active Communities Strategic
Framework for adoption

Content

RESOLVED
 
KEY DECISION
 

That the Executive:
 
a)   
Approved the Active Communities Strategy;
 
b)   
Approved the Leisure Facilities Strategy;
 
c)   
Approved the Playing Pitch Strategy;
 
d)   
Delegated authority to the Assistant Director,
Communities and Leisure in consultation with the Executive Member
for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism to take any actions
necessary to further develop detailed action plans and investment
plans which will support delivery of the strategies.
 
 

Reasons for Recommendations: To
support the Council and its partners to prioritise activities which
will increase physical activity levels, which in turn will help to
improve health outcomes, reduce health inequalities, improve
community connectedness and cohesion and promote a sense of pride
in place.  In addition to inform future
investment plans which will assist the Council to secure developer
contributions and other external funding to deliver the
recommendations in the Leisure Facilities and Playing Pitch
Strategies.
  
Alternative Options
considered:
 
·       
The alternative option would be to not develop an
Active Communities strategic framework and instead to develop
separate Leisure, Leisure Facilities and Playing Pitch strategies
in isolation of each other. The Facilities and Playing Pitch
Strategies are legally required under the National Planning Policy
Framework and so there is no other option than to produce them for
North Northamptonshire.
 
·       
The option to develop a separate Leisure strategy is
not recommended because a  traditional
leisure strategy would have focussed simply on the Council’s
leisure service offer. It would not have taken a whole systems
approach to increasing physical activity, working with our
partners, our sports clubs and our communities and taking the
broadest view possible of the sorts of activity and the environment
and infrastructure which helps make being active the easy choice
for our residents, workforce and visitors. This would have
considerably limited the opportunities and impact of this strategic
framework, not just on physical activity levels but on the
population health and wellbeing and reduction in health
inequalities outcomes for the residents and communities of North
Northamptonshire.
 
·       
The Active Communities strategic framework, based on
comprehensive data, evidence and intelligence, will inform such
things as future partnership activity and feasibility studies which
are required to secure external funding and developer contributions
to enable investment into the North Northamptonshire assets and
infrastructure. It will also ensure a co-ordinated approach to the
Council’s corporate and Big 50 Vision and to the Integrated
Care System strategic objectives.