Pushing for real reform
The pandemic was a game changer for the central/local government relationship, says Joanne Roney, who has started her two-year stint as president of Solace.
Councils voice concerns over drop in number of children being active
15/01/2021 Less than half of children and young people are physically active for the recommended hour or more a day, a new survey has revealed. |
Councils urged to end outsourcing of leisure facilities
13/01/2021 A trade union has called on councils to take back control of leisure facilities after estimating leisure services giant Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) has cut 2,000 staff on zero hours contracts since the start of the pandemic. |
Closure of leisure centres to cost £7.25m in missed health savings
08/01/2021 The continued closure of sport and leisure facilities during the latest lockdown will cost £7.25m in missed health savings, new analysis has revealed. |
Calls for 'credible plan' to keep people active during lockdown
06/01/2021 The Government has been urged to create a 'credible plan' to help people stay active during the winter. |
Hundreds of local authority owned pools will stay closed
02/12/2020 Around 200 council-owned pools will remain closed following the second lockdown, new research has revealed. |
Council chiefs call for culture funding to support people during lockdown
11/11/2020 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to invest more in culture, sport and leisure activities as a new report reveals councils spend over £2bn a year on these areas. |
Leaders call for a ring-fenced Sports Recovery Fund
22/09/2020 The Government has been urged to ringfence funding for sports and physical activities to avoid creating health problems for a generation. |
Hull City abandons ‘return of fans’ match due to Covid-19 warnings
18/09/2020 Hull City have pulled out of a pilot that could have seen the return of live audiences at sporting events after the council declared it would not be safe. |
Welsh sport and leisure sector welcomes £14m recovery funding
17/09/2020 The Welsh government has announced a £14m funding package to support Wales’ sport and leisure sector during the Covid-19 lockdown. |
A third of council-owned pools will stay closed this year
27/07/2020 Nearly a third of council-owned swimming pools could remain closed until next year, new research has revealed. |
Pools, gyms and leisure centres set to re-open
10/07/2020 Councils leaders have welcomed the news that gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres will be allowed to re-open later this month. |
How councils can protect leisure services
10/06/2020 Leisure services offer communities a lifeline, so we must protect them from the worst of Covid-19, says Penny Rinta-Suksi. |
Sport England unveils £195m funding package
01/04/2020 Sport England will make £195 funding available to support sport and physical activity during the coronavirus crisis. |
Air pollution stopping children reaching sporting potential, report warns
11/02/2020 More than a quarter of children’s sports grounds have dangerous levels of air pollution, a new report has found. |
Councils call for £500m to upgrade outdated leisure centres
27/01/2020 A quarter of all council-run leisure centres have not been refurbished in more than 20 years, new figures have revealed. |
Government announces £2.4m ‘boost’ to improve sports teaching
27/01/2020 Schools are set to receive a £1.6m funding boost that will help them provide more sports activities to pupils after school and during the holidays. |
Council chiefs call for investment into leisure facilities
18/10/2019 Local authority leaders have voiced concerns over the ability of councils to continue to provide leisure centres, which contribute to public health, without more Government investment. |
Khan announces £1.1m sports funding to tackle crime
01/08/2019 London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced £1.1m funding for sports groups as part of a drive to stop young people getting involved in crime and violence. |
Council cancels World Cup public screenings after ‘outbreaks of disorder’
10/07/2018 Middlesbrough Council has cancelled the public screening of England’s World Cup semi-final after ‘outbreaks of disorder’ during the last match. |
Cornwall to provide £3m for the construction of a new stadium
18/04/2018 Cornwall Council yesterday agreed to provide up to £3m of funding for the construction of a new sports stadium. |
Getting physical
27/02/2018 Andy Howell explains how active healthier lifestyles are being driven by urban renewal in Slough. |
Council chiefs urge Government to expand sports funding
31/01/2018 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to expand its sports funding in order to help tackle the child obesity problem. |
Birmingham named next Commonwealth Games host city
21/12/2017 Birmingham has received an ‘early Christmas present’ by being selected as the host city of the next Commonwealth Games. |
Mayor to review plans for new Bristol arena
10/11/2017 Plans for a new arena in Bristol have been put on hold while the city council carries out a review. |
Leisure centres 'old and tired’ due to underfunding, council chiefs warn
30/10/2017 The Government will miss a chance to transform the nation’s health if it fails to inject new funding into leisure infrastructure, councils have warned. |
‘Sugar tax’ helps double funding for sports in schools
25/10/2017 Funding to help primary schools improve the quality of their PE and sport provision has been doubled to £320m a year, the Government has announced. |
Birmingham selected as UK candidate to host Commonwealth Games
08/09/2017 Birmingham has been selected as the preferred UK candidate city for a potential bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Government has revealed. |
Salford set to approve stadium loan
16/08/2017 Salford City Council is poised to approve a £630,000 loan to the home stadium of its main rugby league and union clubs. |
Liverpool crowned UK’s top sporting city
08/08/2017 Liverpool has been named as Britain’s top sporting city as it bids to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. |
Children getting enough physical activity drops ‘dramatically’
18/07/2017 The number of children getting enough physical activity drops by 40%, health body warns. |
School summer holidays creating 'class divide' over fitness levels
12/07/2017 The high cost of school holiday activities is opening up a ‘major class divide' in the fitness levels of children, new research has revealed. |
Local tennis facilities see £250m investment
30/06/2017 Local communities are being encouraged to apply for funding from a multi-million pound pot set aside for making tennis more accessible. |
Former FA boss to head up Liverpool's bid to host Commonwealth Games
12/04/2017 The former chief of the Football Association, Brian Barwick, has been appointed by Liverpool City Council to spearhead its Commonwealth Games bid. |
Schools to share £415m from sugar tax
01/03/2017 Schools will be given £415m from the sugar tax to help pupils benefit from healthier lifestyles, education secretary Justine Greening has announced. |
Council approves Chelsea FC’s new £500m stadium
12/01/2017 Hammersmith and Fulham Council has approved plans by Chelsea Football Club to build a new 60,000 stadium. |
Newcastle bids to host European rugby finals
06/12/2016 Newcastle has launched its bid to become the host city for European club rugby union's showpiece weekend in May 2018. |
Regenerate leisure centres to ‘save NHS’, charity says
07/11/2016 Whitehall should invest £1bn to transform the UK’s ‘ageing fleet’ of leisure centres into ‘wellness hubs’, charity says. |
Council ‘badly let down’ by Khan’s football stadium plans decision
23/08/2016 The Mayor of London has been criticised for handing a council the power to determine the future of controversial Wimbledon football stadium plans. |
Councils are locking in Olympic’s ‘sporting legacy’, survey finds
15/08/2016 Local authorities are securing the sporting legacy of the 2012 Olympics by helping to transform sport at the grassroots level, survey reveals. |
Sporting stars back Liverpool’s Commonwealth Games bid
03/08/2016 Sporting stars from across the country have thrown their weight behind Liverpool’s bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. |
Councils 'failing' legal duty to use Welsh language in sport centres
06/06/2016 Most councils in Wales are breaking the law by failing to offer Welsh language swimming lessons at their leisure centres, according to campaigners. |
Sport England unveils £250m plan to tackle inactivity
19/05/2016 Sport England has pledged to spend £250m over the next five years to help tackle inactivity. |
Councils call for control over sports funding to help reduce premature deaths
24/02/2016 Council leaders are calling for more control over sports and leisure funding in a bid to reduce the ‘alarming’ levels of premature deaths. |
Councils urged to find new models to deliver leisure services
03/12/2015 Councils have been urged to find new ways of providing leisure services by the Wales Audit Office, following a report showing many have been ‘too slow’ at identifying new delivery models. |
Call for protection of leisure centres to tackle ‘deadly’ inactivity
05/11/2015 Leisure services should be considered as part of public health spending reviews to protect them from cuts and closure, according to the findings of a new report into Britain’s physical inactivity problem. |
Nottingham named England’s ‘Home of Sport’
23/10/2015 Nottingham is England’s official ‘Home of Sport’, according to the tourism board VisitEngland. |
Councils issue warning over a 'lost generation' of obese children
19/10/2015 Grassroots sports participation is plunging creating a couch-potato culture of obese children, councils are warning. |
Battle lines drawn over All Weather Pitch reclamation
23/07/2015 A war of words has broken out between companies specialising in the recycling and reclamation of All Weather Pitches. Ken Oxley reports. |
Council reviews ‘no ball games’ signs in childhood obesity push
01/07/2015 A London borough could scrap many of its ‘no ball games’ signs in a bid to combat childhood obesity and help youngsters play. |
Council urged to stop residents playing Fifa video game
22/06/2015 A London borough has been urged to crack down on residents playing the Fifa video game following the corruption scandal at football’s governing body. |
Doorstep sports saving society £69m a year
10/06/2015 A national programme to encourage disadvantaged young people to join sports clubs is generating savings of £69m a year to society. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
