Leisure centre closures

That this House notes that recent research indicates a third of local authority owned leisure centres in England are facing closure and that, in Tower Hamlets, St George’s Leisure Centre is facing possible permanent closure; believes that the disproportionate impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the most deprived communities highlights the importance of tackling health inequalities and that there are stark inequalities in exercise between people in deprived areas and the rest of the country; further believes that access to local swimming facilities can dramatically improve both physical health and mental wellbeing; and that privatisation of leisure facilities has led to the prioritisation of profit over the value they bring to communities; calls for the Government to make additional funding available to local authorities to keep leisure centres open; and for an end to privatisation in the provision of public leisure facilities.