Ambitious plan to help residents be more physically active

Wandsworth Council has announced a plan to make sport and leisure affordable and accessible to everyone.

It is part of its Access for All scheme to tackle disparities and ensure everyone has fair access to all council services and can enjoy everything Wandsworth has to offer.

Access for All will include an ambition to develop the UK’s most generous concessions scheme across a range of council services, ranging from pest control and bulky waste to birth registrations and leisure centres. The funding identified will come from returns from council investments, not from council tax.

Residents on a range of means-tested benefits can already get free use of council gyms and swimming pools, and 250 free tickets a day are available at the newly-refurbished Tooting Bec Lido.

To widen this offer and encourage more people to enjoy sport, leisure and physical activity the council has developed a new five-year strategy, Wandsworth Moves Together.

Priority commitments for the first year include:

·        A Play Charter to guide £1m investment in play each year for four years

·        Physical activity programmes on council estates

·        An adult Parkrun in Battersea Park

·        A focus on getting women and girls more involved in sport, using the Women’s Rugby World Cup as a catalyst

·        A new online activity finder

·        A £21m investment in leisure and sport infrastructure including a new 3G pitch. Carbon emissions from leisure facilities will be lowered.

The council and voluntary and community organisations will work together to raise awareness of the importance of staying active and provide more and better opportunities to do so.

Progress will be monitored by a Community Sports and Physical Activity Network made up of representatives from key organisations representing a wide range of people and places across the borough.

Cabinet Member for Environment Judi Gasser said: “Wandsworth is already one of the most active boroughs in the country, and we have a great network of facilities, parks, clubs and organisations helping to keep people moving.  

“Most of us know that exercise is important for our physical and mental health, but for some people there are barriers including cost, time or just feeling exercise is not for them. Our leisure strategy builds on research asking local people living real, complicated lives what could work for them. 

“This will be a key part of our Access for All plan to improve access to all council services and will help us deliver our pledge to make Wandsworth fair, sustainable and compassionate.”