The LGA's media office provides the national voice of local government in England and Wales on the major issues of the day for national, regional and local press.
The new report, Securing the Future of Public Sport and Leisure Services published in partnership with the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) and Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) evaluates the current state of public sport and leisure services and sets out recommendations to ensure the survival and development of the sector.
Councils are currently the biggest investor in sport, leisure, parks and green spaces, spending £1.1 billion per year in England. They are unique in what they offer for communities, providing lifelong opportunities for all to be
Investing in libraries is key to driving the national recovery from COVID-19 and enabling children to catch up on lost learning, the Local Government Association, said today.
Parks proved to be a lifeline for local communities during the COVID-19 crisis but the pandemic has had a devastating impact on councils’ park services, the Local Government Association sets out today.
Councils remain one of the biggest investors in culture, sport and leisure - spending over £2 billion a year - a new report by the Local Government Association sets out today.
"Embracing new ways of working at national and local level will be key to ensuring all communities have the same levels of access to achieve healthier lifestyles.”
“While overall activity levels remain stable, we need to tackle the inequalities within our communities which affect access to adults based on their location, wealth, age, ethnicity and gender.
“It would be a tragedy if our collective efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are undone in a way that leads to a resurgence of this deadly virus that puts further lives at risk.”
Responding to a new report from The House of Lords Committee on a National Plan for Sport and Recreation, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Culture Tourism and Sport Board, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said:
“The LGA is pleased to see that this report acknowledges the need for a radical shift in thinking and delivery at national level to better reflect the contribution sport and recreation makes to wider policy objectives. In addition to their vital role in supporting the health of the nation, increasing activity levels and tackling inequalities.
“We fully support the report’s
“Councils are doing everything they can to protect youth services but funding pressures and rising demand for other services means they have had to reduce spending on youth services by more than half since 2010."