Residents urged to have their say on £210,000 sport and activity funding
Barking and Dagenham residents are being asked to share their views on how to spend £210,000 of new funding aimed at tackling inactivity in the borough.
Local leisure operator Everyone Active and London Borough of Barking and Dagenham have launched a community survey after the borough was named as one of Sport England's priority places to address regional inequalities in activity levels across the country.
The borough, which falls within the top 10 per cent nationally for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality according to Sport England's latest Active Lives Adult survey, will benefit from targeted investment as part of Sport England's £250 million nationwide initiative announced on February 27.
Hasan Romel, Area Contract Manager at Everyone Active, said: "This funding represents a real opportunity to break down barriers to physical activity in our community. We know that where you live has a huge impact on how active you can be, and many of our residents face significant challenges to participation.
“We recognise that not everyone can access traditional leisure centres, so we're looking to support activities in community venues and outdoor locations as well. We want to identify exactly what barriers people face and how we can address them, whether that's through women-only sessions, specialised group activities, or other physical activity formats that meet community needs."
The survey asks residents to identify obstacles preventing them from exercising regularly, with options including cost, accessibility, lack of suitable facilities, time constraints and confidence issues.
Sport England data shows that the most active areas in England have almost double the activity levels of the least active places, with life expectancy varying by up to nine years depending on location.
The council and Everyone Active hope the survey results will guide spending decisions to ensure the funding makes the greatest possible impact on community health and wellbeing.
Once the consultation concludes, the results will be gathered and findings shared with the community in the coming months.
Residents can complete the survey online at https://forms.office.com/e/5t3qyrDjWq.
Paper copies are also available in person at Abbey Leisure Centre or Becontree Heath Leisure Centre.
The consultation period will run until Friday 21 March, with plans for implementing the selected initiatives expected by early summer.