WIREDGOV

We're extending our work in communities across the country to ensure those in greatest need can be active

We’ve announced 53 new places we’re expanding our work into, to address regional inequalities in activity levels across England.

Each place is in the top 10% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level, according to the data from our latest Active Lives Adult survey and Place Needs Classification Tool.

This announcement builds upon our £250 million investment into the heart of communities across England, designed so those in greatest need are able to be active.

Our Partnerships

The map shows our first 53 Place Partnerships; alongside our 12 existing Place Partnerships (formerly local delivery pilots) that we began working with in 2018 – the full list can also be seen below.

We'll announce an additional 27 Place Partnerships later in 2025. Our coverage across England will grow further as we phase in the Place Universal Offer, working with all 43 Active Partnerships.

Below you can see the full list of our first 53 Place Partnerships (Phase 1), as well as the existing 12 Place Partnerships – formerly local delivery pilots.

With less than half of children meeting the Chief Medical Officer's guidelines for daily physical activity and women, people from lower socio-economic groups and Black and Asian people still less likely to be active than other adults, inequalities in activity levels could have a negative impact on the country in the long term, according to our chair Chris Boardman.

“Health inequalities have become embedded in our communities, with rising inactivity amongst children a particular worry,” Chris said.

“Inactive kids are more likely to be inactive adults and more at risk of develop chronic illness that costs the NHS and our economy; it’s a ticking timebomb for the long-term health and wealth of the country. We must address it urgently.

“Physical activity is rightly described by health experts as the ‘miracle cure’. It's not only part of the solution for the physical, mental and social health problems facing our communities; it's also pivotal to getting the economy moving.”

Our latest Active Lives surveys show that affluence and activity levels are closely linked: over a third of adults (34%) are inactive in England’s most deprived places, compared to 20% in the least deprived.

Less than half of adults (49%) are active in the less affluent area of Barking and Dagenham, while over three-quarters (79%) of adults are active in affluent Brighton and Hove.

Children from lower-income families have lower rates of activity than those from wealthier families; local authority data reveals that in Richmond on Thames, nearly two thirds of children and young people are active (62%) – but in Thurrock, an area of high social need, it’s just over a third (34%).