THEME:Leisure & Culture

VISION: TomakeLuton a place where people want to live, work and socialise by expanding on existing leisure and cultural facilities to create a vibrant urban lifestyle, and working collaboratively amongst partners to contribute to improvements in lifestyle choices and stimulating positive leisure and cultural pursuits.

PRIORITY OUTCOMES:

  1. OUT 11 - Improving leisure and cultural opportunities for all and promoting better access

Linked outcomes and objectives: OBJ 3 – to improve life and learning opportunities for all and OUT 10 improving services for carers

Associated Themes: Young People and Community Involvement

Area(s) of Intervention:

  • Provision of sports and leisure facilities
  • Community sports and leisure activities
  • Libraries Service
  • Arts and cultural activities
  • Museums service

Evidence of Need:

  • Deprivation Indices
  • JSNA
  • Skills shortage

Measures of Success:

  • The people of Luton are enabled to develop skills, knowledge and understanding, and participate in activities that promote both learning and entertainment
  • A greater degree of community cohesion, and depth of understanding of and respect for Luton’s diversity
  • A better image for Luton as a centre of sporting and cultural excellence
  • A greater awareness of the history, heritage and cultural richness of Luton

Interventions Required:

  • A comprehensive Libraries service, providing a high level of coverage through a range of suitable and accessible outlets and giving access to a wide range of media
  • Accessible and affordable leisure and cultural venues offering a wide range of activities, suitable to, and reflecting the demographics of, the diverse communities of Luton
  • Facilities that promote the development of excellence in both individual and team sports
  • A range of cross-cultural, cross-community, inter-faith and inter-generational activities
  • The safeguarding and promotion of Luton’s cultural heritage
  1. OBJ 2 – To improve health and promote health equality

Linked outcomes and objectives: OUT 12 – improving the health of children and young people, OBJ 1 – To empower, support and protect the vulnerable and OUT 8 – supporting people to live independently

Associated Themes: Health and Wellbeing, Children and Families, Young People, Community Involvement and Citizen Enablement

Areas of Intervention:

  • Provide activities targeted at hard to reach and vulnerable groups
  • Develop a programme of activities which will support equitable access for all

Evidence of Need:

  • 59% of Luton residents are in the two most deprived national quintiles compared to 40% for England as a whole.
  • At least one in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life and one in six adults have a mental health problem at any one time.
  • Physical activity levels are lower than the national average with only 17.8% of residents taking part in moderate intensity sport and active recreation for 30 minutes at lease 3 times a week (2011-2013)
  • JSNA

Measures of Success:

  • Increase in participation amongst targeted groups of adults participating in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport and active recreation on 3 or more days per week
  • Increased throughput in Leisure & Culture Facilities
  • Reduction in obesity/excess weight in children and adults
  • Improved mental health
  • An increase in female participation

Interventions Required:

  • Promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle
  • Provide opportunities for participation in leisure, cultural and learning activities
  • Develop close links between partner agencies to support the development of arts and cultural, leisure and learning activities in the communities
  • Promote the concession scheme
  • Continue to provide early intervention initiatives in relation to health poverty
  • Promote performance management and improvement
  • Target specific groups (women, disabled and deprived) to increase participation.
  • Continue to work with partners to deliver a dynamic range of health initiatives both through facilities and outreach programmes including new initiatives
  • Strengthen “Exercise on Referral” programme and increase GP and health care professional’s awareness on benefits of exercise to prevent and control chronic disease.
  • Continue to provide early intervention initiatives in relation to health poverty
  • Promote the concession scheme
  • Offer affordable activities in areas of deprivation
  1. OUT 1 – Strengthening communities: building capabilities and resources of community, voluntary and social enterprise groups together to work out shared solutions

Linked outcomes and objectives: OUT 16 – providing positive activities for young people and reducing anti social behaviour, OBJ 5 – to reduce crime, antisocial behaviour and the fear it causes and OBJ 7 – to strengthen community cohesion

Associated Themes: All

Areas of Intervention:

  • Promoting community engagement and building effective partnerships between different sections of the communities

Evidence of Need:

  • The super-diversity of Luton’s population as per the 2011 Census.
  • Disproportionate impact of austerity and particularly of welfare reforms on both groups of people and certain areas of the town – as evidenced by welfare reform impact and evaluation workstream

Measures of Success:

  • More sports and cultural clubs being formed- Belonging to a club can provide a sense of community, bringing people together, offering community hubs and often a support mechanism for many people
  • Reduction in crime & antisocial behaviour
  • Local residents feeling safe within their neighbourhood

Interventions Required:

  • Ensure services, facilities and employment opportunities are accessible and meet the diverse needs of the community
  • Provision of diversionary activities in problem areas
  • Develop an extensive programme of activities which will support social inclusion
  • Work with partners to help people access taster sessions for a wide variety of leisure and cultural activities
  • Support sports clubs, arts groups and individuals helping them to secure external funding, training and encouraging peer support.
  • Encourage and support town wide community festivals and outdoor arts programmes as a means of uniting communities and engendering civic pride
  1. OUT 7 – enhancing skills for employability and entrepreneurship and reducing differences in achievement levels between communities

Linked outcomes and objectives: OUT 14 – supporting our children and young people to achieve skills and experience to enhance their prospects for the future and OUT 15 – reducing the differences in educational achievements between ethnic groups

Associated Themes: Children and Families, Young People, Environment and Economy and Citizen Enablement

Areas of Intervention:

  • Reducing the differences in educational achievement between ethnic groups
  • Providing positive cultural & physical activities for young people and reducing anti social behaviour
  • Meeting the needs of children and young people with disabilities/learningdifficulties

Evidence of Need:

  • Luton Sustainable Community Strategy
  • Deprivation Indices
  • JSNA
  • Community Planning Outcomes
  • Joint Health Analysis
  • Anti-Cohesion Activity

Measures of Success:

  • Increase number of people participating in volunteering
  • Provide support to new arts and leisure businesses
  • Number of Community leisure & cultural training programmes/projects organised
  • Number of participants taking part in and completing training programmes/projects

Interventions Required

  • Improve the employability of individuals through the provision of activities and services which improve physical and mental health and well-being
  • Support and develop voluntary organisations to enable their capacity to sustain learning, sport and recreation and cultural activities in the community
  • Work with Active Luton, Luton Culture and other partners in the local arts and cultural sector, in the provision of coaching and learning opportunities
  • Develop ways for local volunteers to access training thereby improving their chances of securing employment
  • Encourage participation in team and outdoor activities and through achievement of leadership and coaching qualifications

1