Decision details

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.