People sometimes see me criticise expensive new leisure centres and assume I’m against them. I’m not. Many leisure trust facilities are fantastic. They deliver vital services, support communities that might otherwise have no access to sport or fitness, and produce great public health outcomes.

My issue isn’t the facilities. It’s that local government may be missing an enormous opportunity to build something much more powerful around them.

Great Facilities, Weak Strategy

Local authorities across the UK are investing heavily in new leisure infrastructure. £25 million, £30 million, even £50 million for a new centre isn’t unusual. And when they open, they can be impressive.

But bricks and mortar alone don’t solve the real problem: participation. Only around 17% of the UK population are members of a fitness facility. More than four out of five people aren’t engaging with gyms or leisure centres at all. For an industry so important to physical and mental wellbeing, that should concern all of us.

The Private Sector Is Being Overlooked

If we can find tens of millions to build these facilities, why not allocate even 5% of that investment to a genuinely integrated community health strategy that includes the private sector?

There are thousands of independent gyms, studios and health businesses across the country delivering fantastic services. They already have facilities, staff, expertise and established communities. Yet they’re rarely included in wider community health initiatives. The sectors operate in isolation.

Commercial Pressure Is a Real Barrier

Private clubs operate under very different conditions. They cover rent, staff, equipment finance, utilities and marketing every month. Taking part in community initiatives can feel like a financial gamble if outcomes are uncertain. Any integrated strategy must recognise that commercial reality and create models that let private operators take part without putting their businesses at risk.

Our Own Mindset Needs to Change Too

Some barriers are cultural. The private fitness industry is relentlessly competitive: constant offers, discount wars and little collaboration between neighbouring clubs, all trying to win the same customers.

Imagine if more clubs focused on growing the market rather than fighting over it. Moving overall engagement from 17% to 25% or 30% would be extraordinary for the whole industry: more members, more opportunities and more impact for everyone.

Central Government Isn’t the Starting Point

Industry conversations usually turn to central government and the NHS: tax relief, business rates, NHS partnerships. Important conversations, but not where real change starts. Central government is an oil tanker that takes years to turn. The NHS is under extraordinary pressure, and fitness doesn’t sit high enough on its priorities. Even when central government acts, implementation happens locally through commissioning groups and regional authorities. Even DCMS acknowledges many of these decisions are local. So that’s where we should start.

Where Real Change Can Begin

The real opportunity lies with local authorities, Sport England, local health departments, community partnerships and National Lottery funding streams. They already control funding, programmes and community initiatives. Private fitness businesses shouldn’t be standing outside those conversations. They should be inside them. If the goal is better health outcomes, the focus should be on all the resources in a community, not just those owned by the council.

Prove the Impact First

Before asking for national support, we need to prove our value with measurable outcomes: participation, retention, health improvements and community engagement. Evidence changes everything, and it makes conversations with government far easier.

A Call for Cooperation

There are pockets of incredible work across the UK: brilliant leisure centres, innovative private clubs and community initiatives that change lives. But they often work in isolation. Imagine public and private operators aligned around a shared goal of raising participation, improving health and building stronger communities.

17% participation isn’t good enough. To genuinely change the nation’s health, that number needs to move towards 25 or even 30%, and the only way we get there is cooperation. The facilities exist. The expertise exists. The passion certainly exists. Now we need the strategy to bring it all together.

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Want help putting this into practice in your gym? Black Raccoon Consulting are gym and fitness business consultants with over 25 years’ industry experience in sales, marketing, member retention and operations. Book your free 45-minute business call or explore our services.

Ryan Charlesworth, Founder, Black Raccoon Consulting