Decision details

Alex Chaplin, provided a summary update on the Kirklees Health and Wellbeing Strategy priority on Healthy Places. The Board was informed that Healthy Places aims to support an environment of people of all ages who live, work and study to maximise health opportunities to ensure that healthy choice is the easy choice.

Some of the recent successes under this priority includes:

-          Adoption of the validation checklist for spatial planning

-          Revised Parks Services vision almost complete with specific reference to contribution towards health and wellbeing

-          Revised Health Impact Assessment templates have been adopted, providing clear framework for developers to consider the impact of their developments on local places

-          Hot food takeaway SPD has been adopted

-          Behaviour change active travel officer roles has been successfully recruited to

-          Playable spaces programme: 57 projects as of 12/10/22

Some of the challenges:

-          There is a gap for the Everybody Active manager role

-          Capacity/budget constraints for parks/open spaces

-          Temporary closure of a number of Kirklees Active Leisure sites, Deighton Sports Centre, Batley Baths, and the swimming pool at Colne Valley Leisure Centre

Upcoming milestones:

-        Playing Pitch Strategy due to be completed in Q1

-        Replacement for ‘Everybody Active Manager’ with wider facilities role being discussed

-        Work commencing on updating the open space audit. This will be a major piece of work, but will assist in helping activate green spaces for recreational purposes

The Board was informed that a wider update on this priority would be provided at the next meeting.

RESOLVED

That Alex Chaplin be thanked for providing a summary update on the Healthy Places priority.