Issue - meetings

An update presentation will be provided on Leisure Services regarding the implementation of  their vision: “Helping people in Wiltshire to live longer, healthier lives, while addressing health inequalities”. This will including statistics and information on the number of individuals participating in leisure activities within Wiltshire.

A brief introduction was given by Councillor Jonathon Seed emphasising that Public Health and Leisure Activity were intertwined. He said that the heath of the population was very important to Wiltshire Council and there was a real drive towards promoting physical activity.

A presentation was delivered by John Goodall, Consultant in Public Health, Health Improvement, and Physical Activity. He gave an overview of the aims of Leisure Service in improving the health of Wiltshire’s population. He gave statistics and figures, highlighting some of the health issues faced by the County, such as obesity, and compared it to national figures. Attention was also drawn towards the service improvements and expansions, including reference to new Leisure centres that had been built or improved across the County. The financial indicators were also shown, with a graph showing budget savings. Although, it was noted that there was still a £100,000 deficit for the service area.

In the debate that followed, much discussion was held on the benefits of Leisure Activity in the prevention of ill-health, and the dependence on social and health care services. It was highlighted that, whilst there are clear savings, it is difficult to quantify exact figures as the savings may be made by other bodies, such as the NHS. It was explained as more of a cost preventing exercise, rather than a cost saving one.

A final point was considered, noting that the increased costs of improving Leisure facilities had to be balance against potential increased profits. It was stated that with enhanced sites there was a wider potential to increase income by proving additional or alterative services, such as hiring out venues.

RESOLVED:

To note the contents of the report.