Ex-Olympian Susan Egelstaff says councils should not cut physical activity

The former Olympian said councils should prioritize physical activity when they need to make budget cuts.

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

She spoke after the Public Accounts Commission, which oversees public spending, said the amount of money councils spend on culture and leisure services is not keeping pace with rising costs.

The commission found that national spending had fallen by 3% in real terms since 2018 and warned that more analysis was needed to understand how the decline was affecting public health and well-being.

Khosla Local Authority said councils remain committed, despite tight budgets, to ensuring the best possible leisure and cultural services are available.

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

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

“The provision of cultural and recreational services is important for improving the long-term physical and mental well-being associated with activities across a range of other services, and cuts to them risk widening inequalities,” the report says.

The watchdog has warned councils that they not only risk widening inequality across Scotland, but also risk legal action against communities affected by the cuts.

He added that a failure to properly consult with local residents and assess the impact of cutting or increasing fees on inequality had already led to some councils overturning decisions and communities taking legal action.

Ms Egelstaff, who is now a journalist, told BBC radio. Good morning Scotland program: “I think physical activity and cultural activities can be seen as a bit of a luxury, but they are vital to a healthy society.

“The benefits of physical activity are so broad – across health and mental health – I think it should be prioritized.

“This cannot be top of the list when it comes to cuts.”

Professor Grant Jarvie, chair of sport at the University of Edinburgh and chair of the local Leisure, Culture and Sport Trust, told the program that sport, leisure and culture had suffered disproportionately because they were not covered by legislation, such as schools, housing and transport.

He said: “The report suggests a reduction of 3% in real terms, but other reports have suggested a reduction in local authority investment in culture, sport and leisure by 20%, and in some local authorities by 33%.

He added that local authorities only needed to ensure adequate conditions and were “forced to make choices they shouldn't have to make”.

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

He also highlighted community groups that benefit from spending on sport and culture, including street football, the Sistema Scotland music education program and the Homelessness World Cup.

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

Overall, £675 million was spent on culture and leisure in Scotland in 2023/24, of which £118 million was raised through fees, a 27% increase on 2018/19.

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

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

A total of 44 million people visited the country's libraries in 2023/24, the same as in 2018/19.

The number of public sports facilities in Scotland fell by 21% during this time to 43 million last year.

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

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

Jo Armstrong, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said cultural and leisure services were “vital” to health and wellbeing and called for gaps in national data to be addressed.

She added: “Communities must be fully consulted about decisions to close, centralize facilities or change charging. Failure to do so could lead to deepening inequalities and legal action by communities.”

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

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

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