Council to explore options to improve local leisure, health and wellbeing offered to residents

West Oxfordshire District Council will be conducting a study to look at the leisure services within the district and how the council can help improve the health and wellbeing of residents.

The study will explore what the council should offer its residents in the future including services and facilities that people need along with other ways to help people improve their physical and mental well-being.

Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Leisure and Major Projects, said "The market for leisure services has changed a huge amount over recent years, in no small part as an impact of the pandemic. The days of council-owned leisure facilities being the main place where people go for leisure activities are long gone and people are looking for a wider range of ways to stay fit and healthy.

“We need to respond to these changes to make sure we are delivering a good value service. By gaining a better understanding of what the current market is telling us, along with looking to the future, it will help us provide better services and facilities that cater to the district’s diverse needs. 

“Later in the year we will be speaking to local residents and establishing a series of focus groups to get their opinions which will help us understand what residents are looking for to help improve health and wellbeing.

"We have already made progress in providing a wider range of services to support people's health such as our strategy to improve the playing pitch provision and this study will help us take the next step, looking at our leisure centres and other options we have not yet considered.”

National leisure consultants will conduct the study and will use Sport England guidance to produce a strategy and recommended actions. It will look at what outcomes are needed for West Oxfordshire and gather insight from local communities before suggesting what the council could do in the future to have the most significant impact for residents.

It is expected the Council will be consulting with residents later this year to help inform the report and we will be reaching out to a wide range of groups, organisations and individuals to get a wide range of views.

The report will be presented back to the Council Executive next year to help with decisions on the leisure, health and wellbeing services delivered by the Council.