Politics Home Article | Sport and physical activity in the next phase of devolution

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Devolution is fundamentally about how places work.

As new strategic authorities take shape and local government reorganisation continues across England, decisions about transport, housing, economic growth and public services are increasingly being made at a more local level – closer to the realities of place.

In that context, sport and physical activity cut across many of these issues shaping local places.

Sport and physical activity are often treated as standalone services, sitting within leisure budgets and recreation planning. Yet in practice, they sit at the intersection of some of the most important outcomes facing local leaders – health, opportunity, transport connectivity and community cohesion.

The focus is less on whether physical activity is relevant to devolution, and more on how early it is considered in the conversation.

When brought in late, sport and physical activity can often be treated as add-ons. When considered from the outset, they become part of how places are designed, how communities function and how local systems operate.

That distinction matters.

The evidence base is substantial. Our latest research estimates that, in the last year alone, community sport and physical activity generated more than £122bn in social value across England. That includes improved wellbeing, stronger social connections and reduced pressure on health and care services.

In other words, this is not a standalone area. Its relevance is most clearly seen not in isolation, but through its interaction with wider priorities and systems.

Take transport.

As active travel becomes more central to local and regional transport planning, walking, wheeling and cycling are increasingly being discussed alongside congestion, air quality and carbon reduction. But they are also fundamentally about how people access jobs, education, services and opportunity.

When physical activity is built into transport planning from the outset, it helps shape systems that support everyday movement.

The same applies to housing and planning.

As local areas plan for growth and new development, there is growing emphasis on placemaking and design quality. Access to green space, safe walking and cycling routes, and opportunities for recreation are increasingly recognised as core features of successful communities.

These are not peripheral considerations. They influence long-term health outcomes, social interaction and the liveability of new places over decades.

In regeneration and economic development, the link is equally clear.

Investment in public spaces, parks, leisure infrastructure and active travel networks contributes to places that are more attractive to live in, work in and invest in. Major events bring visibility and economic uplift, but the quality of everyday environments also determines whether places feel active and connected.

There is also a growing intersection with health.

Local health systems are managing rising demand linked to inactivity, long-term conditions and poor mental wellbeing. This is not a challenge can be addressed in isolation.

Physical activity is increasingly being considered as part of wider prevention-focused approaches – not as a substitute for clinical care, but as a complementary part of how people stay well for longer and remain connected to their communities.

This is where place-based working becomes particularly relevant.

One of the most consistent lessons from devolution to date is that outcomes improve when organisations work around place and shared priorities.

Place-based approaches allow local partners to align investment, insight and delivery around the specific needs of communities, rather than the structures of individual services.

Sport and physical activity fit naturally into this way of working.

In Greater Manchester, GM Moving has become a widely referenced example of this approach in practice. Physical activity has been positioned within a broader system focus on population health, inequalities and wellbeing, bringing together local authorities, health partners, voluntary organisations and communities around shared outcomes.

Importantly, this has not been driven by a single organisation, but through sustained collaboration across the system.

A similar approach can be seen in Cumbria, where partners have worked across rural and dispersed communities to better align physical activity provision with local need. The focus there has been on accessibility, place-specific barriers and collaboration across sectors to ensure activity reflects geography.

While the contexts differ, the underlying principle is consistent – physical activity has the greatest impact when it is embedded in wider place-based strategies, rather than operating alongside them.

That’s why we’re expanding our focus on place-based investment, including a £250m commitment to more than 90 communities experiencing the highest levels of inactivity and inequality. The aim is to support long-term, locally-led approaches, shaped by local evidence and delivered in partnership with wider system stakeholders. Through this work, we’re connecting Active Partnerships, local government, health, transport, education and voluntary sector organisations. The focus is increasingly on enabling collaboration across systems, rather than delivering in isolation.

As devolution continues to evolve, different areas will naturally take different approaches based on their priorities and governance models. That variation is both expected and necessary.

But across those differences, one theme is becoming clearer.

Where physical activity is linked to wider strategic goals – whether that is improving health, supporting growth, strengthening communities or improving quality of place – it is more likely to be sustained, scaled and embedded.

The opportunity, then, is not to elevate sport and physical activity as a separate agenda, but to recognise its role within the decisions that are already reshaping places.

Recognising the pace of change across devolution and local government reorganisation, Sport England has recently published a Devolution Policy Position Statement to help local leaders, strategic authorities and partners better understand the role sport and physical activity can play in delivering local growth, prevention and wellbeing ambitions. Further information, guidance and support can be accessed at www.sportengland.org/devolution-statement.