Case studies

Oldham Community Leisure was formed as an industrial and provident society in 2002. Its partnership with Oldham Council is successfully delivering on a range of community outcomes. The leisure trust delivers health interventions and services as well as running leisure centres and sports facilities.

Broxbourne Borough Council runs its own sports provision through the Broxbourne Sport service. Over the last 10 years the service has gone from an operating loss to a trading budget surplus, which is used to improve the facilities and increase participation. This has already saved more than £700,000 from the council’s capital programme budget.

Kirklees Active Leisure was established by Kirklees Council in 2002. Both organisations work together to provide, develop and protect good quality leisure services for local people. The leisure trust is committed to social and community development and contributes significantly to the local partnership agenda.

It provides a range of community services with the aim of engaging people in active lifestyles. The trust has been remodelled in recent years, with a shift to co-production and a new outcomes-based agreement.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council provides its sport, play and arts service and its leisure service inhouse. Other models have been considered and trialled in the past, such as outsourcing, but the services demonstrate high levels of success under the in-house mechanism.

Oxford City Council’s awardwinning sport and physical activity team works with a broad range of partners, including an external provider which operates the city’s sport and leisure facilities. Targeted programmes, projects and events are helping to increase participation among key community groups.

Three Rivers District Council has an in-house leisure development team and contracts out the management of its leisure venues. The team works with a range of partners to meet strategic targets around increasing the health and wellbeing of local people, including those with additional needs, mental health issues and vulnerable young people.

With research showing that girls between 16 and 24 are at the highest risk of domestic abuse, Enfield Council developed an emotive and educational campaign to help young women to recognise the signs and seek help. Head of Communications David Greely explains what they did.

How Buckinghamshire County Council’s communications and public health teams worked together to promote the health and wellbeing activities available in the local area and support residents to lead healthier, more active lives.

In 2015-17, the Healthy London Partnership teamed up with Uscreates to work with three London boroughs (Haringey, Hackney and Tower Hamlets) to research and develop social interventions to address the growing levels of childhood obesity.