According to the latest Moving Communities Impact Report visits to leisure centres are rising and there are encouraging signs of progress with tackling inequalities.

The new report draws on participation data from 563 facilities across England – the largest sample size to date – and covers April 2022 to March 2024.

The seven million participants at the reporting sites in England in 2023/24 generated £891 million in wider social value, with the average per participant estimated to be £119.

Proportionately the biggest gains have been made among people living in the most deprived areas of England. Participation among residents living in Index of Multiple Deprivation area 1–2 was up by 9 per cent and by 10 per cent for those living in IMD 3-4. However, this is still some way short of closing the gap to the least deprived areas – those living in IMD 9-10 account for 25 per cent of visits.

Forty per cent of those living in the most income-deprived areas reported that the cost of living has had a negative impact on their ability to stay active, compared to 28 per cent in the least deprived areas.

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, executive director of place at Sport England, noted that more local authorities are transitioning towards becoming active wellbeing services. “This year’s findings show real resilience across the public leisure sector,” she said. “These are vital local assets that bring communities together, improve wellbeing and deliver value for money.

“The continued commitment to this important service from local authorities and operators has driven real progress in showcasing the industry’s inclusive, welcoming, and sustainable services, but there is still more we can collectively do to reach more deprived groups.”

The average number of participants to leisure centres increased by 7 per cent and the average number of visits by participant was up by 5 per cent.

The gender split is 52/48 in favour of females, which is welcome news given that other national surveys show that men are more active than women.

The report also shows an uptick in participation among every age group of adults over 55.

Income increased in 2023/4 relative to 2022/3 and the increase in staffing costs has been offset in the decrease in utility costs.

More than 50 per cent of sites completing a Quest assessment are achieving a very good score. Although only 11 per cent are reaching excellent which is lower than pre-COVID levels. The top 10 performing Quest sites from 2022-23 who had participated in the 2023 Customer Experience survey had an average NPS that was almost 80 per cent higher than the sector average.

The sector’s overall Net Promoter Score stands at 22 for the second year running and is down significantly from 35 in 2021. Scores are much lower from 16 to 34-year-olds than the over-65s.

Friendliness of staff and cleanliness were the two most important factors when thinking about visiting a facility – both scoring 99 per cent.

There was a 33 per cent gap between how important customers feel cleanliness and how satisfied they are, suggesting that cleaning is an area where operators need to redouble efforts.

Moving Communities provides live data based on the largest dataset ever gathered for the local authority leisure sector, combining the expertise of Sport England with partners including Active Insight, the Sport Industry Research Group at Sheffield Hallam University, Loughborough University, 4Global, and Right Directions, who deliver Quest.

The full report can be downloaded here.