Cabinet Member for Housing and Wellbeing

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Economy and Community Services and the above Cabinet Member which provided an update on the Sport and Physical Activity Framework 2012 – 2017 (SPAF) and detailed proposals for the draft Active Lives Framework (ALF) 2017 – 2022 for approval to enable an 8-week consultation period.

The Cabinet Member introduced the report and explained that the six objectives of the SPAF laid down by Sport England (SE) had been met, and that the ALF would focus more on the health and wellbeing of people with more interaction between local GP surgeries and sports groups to help improve the wellbeing of residents.

Members raised the following points: not all the objectives of the SPAF had been met and noted that adult obesity had increased; SE’s targets were useful but they did not necessarily correlate with health outcomes and were more about participation;  the Strategy should be aimed more at people that do not regularly take part in sport, and encouraging them to have a healthier lifestyle such as developing more sites for walking; and important to include ways of encouraging people to eat healthily from an early age to combat obesity. 

In response to a query from a Member, the Community Sport and Physical Activity Officer agreed to provide a breakdown of the adult obesity rates for each of the Swale Clinical Commissioning Groups in Swale.  He explained that the SPAF had focused more on sport, and the ALF was more about providing active and healthy lives and working holistically to get people active. 

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Wellbeing acknowledged that obesity was increasing, but he hoped that by including primary care in the ALF the issue could be dealt with.  He spoke about the Swale Community Chef who visited local schools and sports clubs to encourage healthy eating. 

Resolved:

(1)      That the draft Active Lives Framework 2017 – 2022 be approved to enable an 8 week consultation period.