Autumn Statement – Together Active Response

Thursday 17th November 2022

Today’s Autumn Statement has been delivered at a time when increasing food, energy and housing costs are having a big impact on the vast majority of the people of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

 

As an Active Partnership, our priority is the health of our local population. Physical activity is crucial in the prevention, mitigation, and rehabilitation of physical and mental health issues, but we’re acutely aware of the role the wider determinants of health play.

 

We’re glad to see that the Chancellor has uplifted benefits and pensions in line with inflation, which is currently running at around 11%. This will put more money into the pockets of the most at-risk groups in society, supporting them through what will likely be a challenging winter.

 

We welcome the £2.3 billion of funding for schools, as the need to invest in our young people has never been greater. It is a clear indication of confidence in work of heads, teachers and teaching assistants, although they will still face challenges in terms of provision. We will continue to support schools to provide physical activity opportunities which are accessible and affordable.

 

It’s also reassuring to see that there will be continued support for households facing huge increases to energy bills. However, with the cap being fixed at £3,000 for the average household, which is over double what it was only a year ago, we’re concerned that more households will struggle with balancing their finances.

 

We would welcome more clarity on what support will be given to leisure and swimming facilities, who are essential to the health of local communities, but who have seen their energy costs soar over the past year. There is clear evidence that both structured and informal activities provide opportunities to maintain mobility, strength, and fitness levels to help prevent them from requiring acute healthcare services, and investment in this area can reduce the strain on the NHS over winter.

 

We’re particularly concerned about the spending cuts still to be outlined and the low levels of forward investment for public services. We know that people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds rely more on public services, which have already endured huge cuts to their budgets. Reduced access to these services at a time when they will likely be needed most could lead to poorer overall physical and mental health for the most at-risk groups in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

 

Physical activity is not a luxury. It is an essential tool which must be integrated into the cost-of-living response.

 

We ask that the Chancellor protects access to physical activity services and recognises the societal benefits offered by the sector through this challenging period.

 

 

Read next: Together Active’s Cost of Living Statement