Budget a ‘missed opportunity’ to improve health

The sports and physical activity sector has described the Conservative government’s latest budget – announced on 6 March – as a “missed opportunity to improve the health and productivity of the nation”.

The National Sector Partners Group (NSPG), which is made up of some of the sector’s leading organisations, accused the government of failing to meet its own ambitions of supporting more people to be physically active.

In a strongly worded statement, the NSPG said: “Delivering his Budget, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said there can be no ‘solid growth without solid finances’, but we know there can be no growth without improved health too.

“The announcements will do little to move the dial on physical activity levels nor unlock the potential of our sector.

“Yesterday’s Budget was a missed opportunity to improve the health and productivity of the nation by supporting more people to be active.

“Given the Budget’s focus on increasing productivity, workforce and NHS efficiency, further measures designed to support our sector to achieve these priorities – such as tax and regulatory reforms and investment – should have been more prominent.

“More broadly the Government’s own Get Active strategy sets targets to get 2.5 million more adults and one million more children active by 2030. And there remain very serious financial pressures on local government with cuts already being made to non-statutory services such as sport and leisure in many areas.

“These targets are therefore at serious risk given the lack of measures in the Budget to help achieve them.”