16 June 2006
Local authorities do not understand the recreational needs of their communities and must improve the financial management of facilities such as swimming pools, football pitches and gyms, the Audit Commission has warned.
A joint study by the commission and Lottery funding body Sport England concludes that 'the quality and accessibility of public sports and recreation facilities may not match public health and fitness expectations or offer the best value for money'.
The study, Public sports and recreation services, published on June 15 to coincide with the start of the World Cup, also criticises the government for using several confusing funding streams to provide cash for local leisure and sports services.
Frances Done, managing director for local government at the commission, told Public Finance that while some councils had a good understanding of their communities' leisure requirements and had increased the use of local facilities, the majority did not.
'On the whole, we found that councils' strategic planning is poor. There is often… a real difference between what local residents want from leisure facilities and what councils provide and how they provide them,' Done warned.
She said that councils often failed to get value for money from recreational spending because they did not think proactively about how best to provide services. Many, for example, did not form local partnerships with the private sector or other public bodies, such as local education and health care providers, to raise health awareness issues or provide facilities cost-effectively.
That conclusion will be seen as a blow to ministers' campaign to reduce obesity and crime rates by improving awareness of health issues and leisure facilities.
The report states that while no single management option delivers the best value for money, or results in higher levels of participation, in-house options, which tend to predominate across town halls, 'tend to be significantly more expensive than not-for-profit trusts or private sector contracts'.
Ian Mearns, vice-chair of the Local Government Association's regeneration board, said cash was, as ever, the key factor. 'Councils do all they can to make sure the right leisure services are provided in the right place at the right time. However, they can find it extremely difficult to secure resources to modify or renew existing facilities.'
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