Inactivity costing £20bn a year, says Sport England

According to Sport England, equal access to sport and exercise might be able to address the estimated £20 billion deficit in public finances.

The funding body claims that new research highlights “the crucial role” physical activity plays in sustaining public finances and economic growth before the budget next week.

It also warns that inactivity is costing “staggering” £20bn annually and calls for more athletic investment.

If the least active social groups, such as those with disabilities, people with lower incomes, and black people, were supported, the amount of healthcare savings, productivity gains, and improved wellbeing that could be opened, it claims.

Sport England earlier this year discovered a record high of 67% of adults were adhering to the chief medical officer’s recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity. However, it cautioned that more work was required to address inequality.

The government stated at the time that addressing inactivity was “at the forefront of our preventative health agenda.”

Through employment opportunities, volunteer work, facilities, and equipment, Sport England claims its research has also revealed that grassroots sport and exercise help the economy grow by £36 billion annually.

And according to its calculations, £4.38 is generated for people and the public purse for every £1 invested in the sector, thanks to savings for the NHS, prevention of chronic illnesses, increased workforce productivity, and improved health and happiness.

Every year, grassroots sport and exercise generates about six to seven times as much tax revenue as the government invests in sport and exercise.

The chair of Sport England, Chris Boardman, said, “It’s shocking that disparities in activity levels cost the public purse nearly £20 billion annually.

We can change the fact that inactivity is quietly draining our economy, our health system, and our communities.

“Excitingly, movement is the only option that exists.” billions can be saved in healthcare with a return on investment of more than 4%, making our workforce more productive, and improving millions’ quality of life.

After the “world has thrown more challenges our way,” the chancellor warned earlier this month, and she did not oppose a change to Labour’s pledge to raise income taxes, VAT, or national insurance. She also warned that she would make “needless choices” in the Budget.

Leaders from the sport and physical activity industries wrote to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in June to warn that if they were not prioritized in government spending plans, they “risiko the decline or closure of more facilities and clubs.