Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Committee were informed that the City of London had commissioned the development of a Sports and Physical Activity Strategy to provide a vision and priorities for sport and physical activities for the next five years. The Strategy had been developed to reflect the national, regional and local policy context. This included the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy which includes a

commitment to address key health and wellbeing challenges including the need:

· to consider obesity and nutrition in the City population;

· for better collaborative working with businesses to address worker health

(including stress);

· to improve access to health-promoting facilities, in particular the affordability

of leisure activities.

In response to a query from Members regarding a recent article in the media outlining the benefits of a healthy diet, Officers said although diet was key to tackling obesity, physical activity had a number of health benefits such as tackling mental health problems and promoting an active lifestyle. Members discussed the use of City owned open spaces to promote exercise. Officers informed Members that they were working closely with colleagues in the Open Spaces directorate to signpost areas located outside of the square mile which provided outdoor exercise equipment for public use.

Members noted that Fusion were limited to increasing the price of their services by 5% and any increase which exceeded this limit would need to be considered by the Community and Children’s Services Committee.

RESOLVED – That the Sports and Physical Activity Strategy be approved.