Purpose

On 24
August 2023, the Grants Advisory Committee
reviewed the report with officer suggestions, on the paper relating
to grant applications from Dual Use Leisure Centres to launch or
relaunch physical activity programmes.
 
Such a grant scheme
would enable our leisure centres to introduce classes to help draw
back members to pre-pandemic activity levels and build and maintain
membership.
 
The District Council
play a key role in helping to improve population health by creating
opportunities to promote physical and mental health and wellbeing
and reduce health inequalities, obesity rates and physical
inactivity.  
 
Our leisure centres
play a key role in this agenda through provision of local
place-based initiatives. Attendance figures at leisure centres
remain lower than pre-pandemic levels
 
The
combination of rising inflation, high interest rates and energy
bills is proving to be a difficult economic environment for Centres
to introduce classes which may not attract full attendance
initially.

Content

All recommendations have been
agreed by members and the Lead Cabinet Member have provided their
approval on the applications for the grants relating to Dual Use
Leisure Centre grant funding.
Members suggested greater
support is needed to help promote new and existing schemes to
residents.
Centres are required to provide
a 6-month update report on Membership numbers.
It was
agreed that the unspent funds could be used to support those
Centres which did not apply via this process on projects aligned to
this grant.