Ex-Olympian Susan Egelstaff says advice should not reduce physical activity

A former Olympian has said physical activity should be a priority for councils when they have to make budget cuts.

Badminton player Susan Egelstaff, who competed at the 2012 London Olympics and is a two-time Commonwealth Games medalist, told BBC Scotland the benefits to society were “huge”.

She was speaking after public spending watchdog the Accounts Commission said the amount of money councils were spending on culture and leisure services was not keeping up with rising costs.

The commission found that national spending had fallen by 3% in real terms since 2018 and warned that further analysis was needed to understand the impact of this decline on public health and wellbeing.

Local government body Cosla said councils remained committed, within tight budgets, to ensuring the best possible leisure and cultural services were available.

In its report, the Audit Commission said many local authorities were reviewing the services they offered while increasing or introducing charges.

He warned that the most deprived communities would face “inequality and exclusion” if cuts to spending on cultural and leisure services continued unchecked.

“The provision of cultural and leisure services is important in helping to improve long-term physical and mental wellbeing, linked to the activity of a range of other services, and their reduction risks worsening inequalities,” he said.

The watchdog warned councils that they not only risked increasing inequalities across Scotland, but also risked legal action being taken by communities affected by the cuts.

He added that the failure to properly consult with locals and assess the impact of fee reductions or increases on inequalities had already seen some councils reverse their decisions and communities take legal action.

Ms Egelstaff, who is now a journalist, told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland: “I think physical activity and cultural activities can be seen as a luxury, but they are essential to having a healthy society.

“The benefits of physical activity are so great – they are for health and mental health – I think they need to be prioritized.

“It can’t be at the top of the list when it comes to discounts.”

Professor Grant Jarvie, chair of the sports department at the University of Edinburgh and chair of the local authority’s leisure, culture and sport committee, told the program that sport, leisure and culture were disproportionately affected because they were not statutory, like schools, housing and transport.

He said: “The report suggests a 3% reduction in real terms, but other reports speak of a 20% reduction in local government investment in culture, sport and leisure services and up to 33% in some local authorities.

He added that local authorities simply had to provide adequate services and were “forced to make choices they shouldn’t have to make”.

He said sport contributed £2.5 billion to the Scottish economy, with more coming from the cultural industries.

He also highlighted community groups that benefit from spending on sport and culture, including Street Soccer, Sistema Scotland’s music education program and the Homeless World Cup.

“Local authorities have to make choices, but governments of all colors also make choices and in this case they are the wrong ones,” he said.

In total, £675 million was spent on culture and leisure in Scotland in 2023-24, with £118 million raised through taxes, an increase of 27% since 2018/19.

At the same time, local leaders approved savings worth £9.9 million in these areas for the current year.

The Accounts Commission said gaps in the way data was collected by councils meant “we do not have a full understanding of the impact of these decisions on health, wellbeing and prevention”.

A total of 44 million visits were made to libraries nationwide in 2023/24, the same number as in 2018/19.

Scotland’s public sports facilities saw their numbers fall by 21% over this period, to 43 million last year.

Visits to museums across the country have increased by 25% since 2018/19 to 15 million.

Satisfaction and attendance rates for certain services remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Jo Armstrong, chair of the Accounts Commission, said culture and leisure services were “vital” for health and wellbeing and called for gaps in national data to be closed.

She added: “Communities must be fully consulted on decisions to close, centralize facilities or change pricing. Failure to do so risks worsening inequalities and legal action by communities. »

A Cosla spokesperson said vital services would “continue to be at risk” without long-term sustainable funding.

They said Cosla was already working with councils and partners to see how it could increase national and local investment in facilities and initiatives to support the health, wellbeing and education of communities.

“We will consider the findings and recommendations of the Audit Committee as part of this ongoing work,” they added.