Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1. Approves spending of the Sport England Place Expansion grant in line with Sport England grant conditions and the development bid proposal outlined in this report.
   
   
2. Notes the ambitions of the Moving Rotherham Partnership beyond the Sport England grant.

Consideration was given to the report which provided an overview of the proposed Sport England investment for Rotherham as part of the Place Expansion programme. It also outlined key activities to be undertaken to expand opportunities for physical activity and develop the existing Moving Rotherham Partnership priorities.

Inactivity in Rotherham was greater than the national average, with almost 1 in 3 adults inactive. Improving physical activity levels across the population,

with a particular focus on the least active, would reduce the health risks

associated with prematurely developing long-term conditions and improve

healthy life expectancy which contributed to wider economic benefits, such as a healthier workforce.

In 2023 Sport England committed to investing £250m over the next 5 years to expand its Place Partnerships to an additional 80. Sport England’s focus for funding was:

• Increasing activity (increasing amount of time people spend being active)
• Decreasing inactivity (decreasing the proportion of population that are classed as sedentary/inactive.)
• Tackling inequality.
• Providing positive experiences for children and young people.
  
  

Rotherham had been identified as investment ready due to the acknowledgement of the successful work and partnerships already in place, with the Council being chosen as a partner in phase one of place expansion. This had resulted in the awarding of a £455k Development Award to Rotherham. The investment had the potential to significantly impact on the Moving Rotherham priorities noted in paragraph 1.6 of the report and positioned Rotherham as part of a selected group of local areas that received direct support from Sport England.

The investment from Sport England was in two phases: a development bid, and main award. The development bid was to help better understand the needs and priorities for physical activity in Rotherham ahead of a full award bid being submitted in early 2026. The themes that had been identified to progress the work were set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report with the bid proposals set out in paragraph 2.4. The spend proposals were outlined in paragraph 2.5.

Delivery of the bid elements would additionally enable the partnership to expand its work across the 4 active priorities in areas not directly funded by the grant. Work would include greater reach to inactive people, with additional work to focus on community development, supported by Yorkshire Sport Foundation, and building a stronger disability network to support those with greater barriers to accessing physical activity. It also enhanced the existing work within the Culture, Sport and Tourism service, particularly with local sports providers, such as community sports clubs and voluntary organisations. It would contribute to the development of leisure facilities and green and blue space infrastructure. It aligned to the Children’s Capital of Culture programme delivery, supporting a wider range of young people’s active opportunities as defined by them.

During the meeting it was noted that this was positive news since there were acute challenges regarding inactivity across the borough. Members were supportive of the links to the Children’s Capital of Culture programme.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1. Approve spending of the Sport England Place Expansion grant in line with Sport England grant conditions and the development bid proposal outlined in this report.
   
   
2. Note the ambitions of the Moving Rotherham Partnership beyond the Sport England grant.