UK Active urges Burnham to back Britain’s gyms to drive health and economic growth

UK Active CEO, Cameron Saunders, has written an open letter to the UK’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, congratulating him on his appointment and expressing a willingness to work with his government.

There’s hope Burnham could be a gift for the sector, as he fully understands the importance of physical activity – as explained in an interview with HCM’s sister publication, Sports Management in 2019.

Burnham has repeatedly advocated for integrating leisure facilities into primary care and recognised the sector as a driver of economic productivity. 

As mayor of Greater Manchester, he made systemic changes to get 75 per cent of the city’s population active by 2025, including investing in active travel infrastructure.

During the pandemic he repeatedly lobbied central government for emergency relief funds to prevent the closure of leisure centres and swimming pools across the city.

During his tenure as Health Secretary in 2009-2010, he was one of the first politicians to frame physical activity as a core pillar of preventative medicine. In this role he was the primary architect of the national Free Swimming Scheme and Change4Life campaign.

Burnham says he wants to disrupt the status quo, create growth in every postcode and to give back hope. “Our job won’t be done until people aren’t just living, but living well,” he says.

In his first week as Prime Minister he launched a national drive to end rough sleeping; announced a tax cut on energy bills, a £2 cap on bus fares and a 20 per cent cut on business rates on pubs, clubs and music venues, as well as opened Number 10 North.

Here is Saunders’ letter in full:

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing as the CEO of UK Active, to congratulate you on your appointment as Prime Minister and set out how the physical activity sector can work with your Government to drive change.

During your speech as Mayor of Greater Manchester at our ‘Active Uprising’ conference in 2018, you spoke passionately about the national role and importance of physical activity. We welcomed your commitment to “put physical activity at the heart of everything we do”, and your recognition of it as “the most cost-effective way of dealing with some of biggest challenges we face”. I hope these beliefs still ring true and you will build on your track record, helping us to scale nationally your work embedding physical activity across Greater Manchester.

Gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres are critical in tackling the nation’s most pressing challenges: relieving pressure on the NHS, tackling economic inactivity and driving economic growth. In the face of an overburdened health service with unsustainable waiting lists, rising levels of unemployment, stubborn inequalities and sluggish national growth, physical activity delivered by these facilities can form a central part of the solution.

Our sector is already producing results across these priorities, with the UK Health and Fitness Market Report showing a record 12.2 million members of health and fitness clubs and 679 million visits in 2025, equating to £15.9bn in healthcare savings annually. 

These clubs also provide important employment opportunities, particularly for young people aged 16-24, who are most at risk of long-term unemployment and make up 30 per cent of the sector’s workforce.

Our vision is of a gym on every high street, a leisure centre serving every place, improving the health and social cohesion of communities up and down the country, but also driving local regeneration and footfall to other local businesses.

However, major barriers prevent services from reaching the underserved communities where health inequalities persist. The ageing stock of public leisure facilities calls for a long-term strategy, with around 60% of sports halls and swimming pools beyond their expected lifespans or in need of refurbishment. The £400m of grassroots funding announced by DCMS will do little to address this crisis. 

Meanwhile, private sector growth is hamstrung by operating conditions, with successive Autumn Budgets raising employment costs and business taxation. These force higher prices, limited expansion plans, reduced services and closures, undermining the chance for healthier, wealthier places.

Pro-growth and pro-prevention, you have a generational opportunity to help people of all ages to be active and we invite your team to meet and discuss how we can help you deliver change.

Yours sincerely,

Cameron Saunders, CEO, UK Active