Birmingham looks to become active city with new strategy

Birmingham City Council is looking to adopt a whole systems approach in a bid to become a physically active city.

The council is in the process of creating a new Active Birmingham Strategy and has launched a public consultation to record the views of residents. The strategy aims to address low levels of physical activity in the city and focuses on developing opportunities for people to build physical activity into everyday life. 

The strategy looks to complement other programmes of work in place across the city, such as the Sports Strategy and Birmingham Transport Plan. The plan is to collectively bring the different initiatives together to ensure a whole system approach. 

Birmingham has one of the lowest levels of physical activities in England. 

According to Sport England’s Active Lives Survey, just over a quarter of adults in the UK are inactive and do less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week. However, this figure is lower in Birmingham and lower still in black and Asian communities in the city.

In the draft strategy, the council said: “Our vision is to create a bold, healthy, and active city where people have access to a wide range of opportunities and a supportive environment to enable them to become more active.  

“Birmingham will be a city where physical activity improves people’s lives and the places in which they live.  By working collaboratively with partners from across Birmingham we will inspire, motivate, and make it easier for everyone to be active at every age and ability. Recognising that some people will require more support than others to be active.”

The city council’s Public Health Physical Activity Team is now undertaking the consultation on the draft strategy, which will run until 15 January 2024.

Councillor Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “The strategy provides a framework for collective action, working across a wide range of partners and communities, putting them at the heart of action.”

The council is looking for feedback from residents and those wishing to take part can do so online: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/people-1/creating-an-active-birmingham