Horsham District Council – Active Wellbeing Strategy and Investment Strategy

Background

SLC were commissioned by Horsham District Council in August 2025 to support the development of a new Active Wellbeing Strategy and to undertake a Leisure Investment Options Study.

The Council wished to develop a clear policy position for the future delivery of its leisure service and to establish a long-term plan to meet community needs through sustainable facility provision.

The overall aim of the Active Wellbeing Strategy is to provide a clear strategic direction that will guide the Council in transforming its existing leisure service into a dynamic, needs-led active wellbeing service. One which recognises and builds upon current strengths but seeks to support a wider set of health and wellbeing outcomes.

The Leisure Investment Options Study was undertaken alongside, and in support of, the Active Wellbeing Strategy. It assessed investment needs across the Council’s four main leisure centres: Pavilions in the Park, The Bridge Leisure Centre, Steyning Leisure Centre, and Billingshurst Leisure Centre. The study aimed to identify improvements required to better meet local needs, support health and wellbeing outcomes, and ensure the long-term sustainability of these critical community assets.

SLC’s support has helped to prepare the Council for two key milestones:

• The procurement of a new leisure / active wellbeing management contract from December 2027, providing clear direction on how the new contract is to be designed and procured and defining the operator partner’s role in supporting the delivery of strategic priorities
• The transition into the new unitary authority through Local Government Reorganisation. By repositioning the service to focus on wider active wellbeing and prevention, the Council will ensure the service is seen as a relevant supporting and enabling function to large statutory services such as Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Public Health.

Critically, establishing plans for a sustainable portfolio of facilities will help to avoid the scrutiny that will inevitably be attracted by inherited facilities that are inefficient and ineffective in meeting needs across the new larger authority.

Understanding local needs and priorities and developing the evidence base

Both projects were shaped by extensive consultation with internal stakeholders across Council services and with external partners from health and the community and voluntary sector. This was supplemented by online consultation with local residents, sports clubs, schools and employers, and further supported through facilitated workshops with strategic partners.

Alongside the consultation, SLC developed a clear understanding of current and future needs linked to local demographic and health data, supply and demand analyses and current and historical performance of the Council’s leisure facilities and services. This also considered the role of wider community assets including parks and open spaces, community centres, schools and sports facilities in supporting physical activity across the District. The findings provided a robust understanding of current and future needs, participation trends, service gaps and opportunities for investment and stronger partnership working in the future.

Active Wellbeing Strategy

SLC worked closely with the Council and its stakeholder partners, through a series of workshops, to establish a shared set of aspirations and priorities for the new strategy. These workshops explored the future vision, outcomes, objectives and governance arrangements required to deliver an effective and lasting approach to supporting active wellbeing across the District. Attendees included officers and elected Members alongside senior representatives from NHS Sussex, West Sussex County Council Public Health and Children’s Services teams, Sussex Integrated Care Board and the local leisure operators.

The draft outcomes and objectives were then put forward for discussion with the Council’s Local Community Network forum. This session also explored the specific short-term actions required to deliver the strategy.

All of the findings and strategy content were then brought together into a clear, concise report for consideration by the Council.

Leisure Investment Options Study

Building on the robust evidence base identified through earlier stages, a longlist of potential investment proposals was developed.

SLC, supported by design work from DB3 Architects and cost estimates from Press & Starkey, presented the longlist of proposed interventions to the Council’s project team. Using a robust options appraisal framework, a series of preferred interventions were identified to take forward to the detailed design, costing and business planning stage.

All elements of the work were brought together into a comprehensive but reader-friendly report, providing a detailed assessment of the business case for investment options and a clear set of recommendations to support future decisions.

Key outcomes

The new Active Wellbeing Strategy was approved by Cabinet and formally adopted by the Council in March 2026. The strategy now provides the overarching framework for the delivery of physical activity, sport, leisure and active wellbeing services across the District and is helping to shape the Council’s procurement of a new leisure management contract.

The accompanying Leisure Investment Options Study has provided a robust, evidence-led assessment of future investment opportunities across the Council’s leisure portfolio. This has enabled the Council to better understand how its facilities can evolve to better meet community needs, be more financially sustainable and support its broader aspirations for Active Wellbeing.

The Council is now considering how best to prioritise and potentially phase the recommended investment options. This includes determining which interventions could be delivered now, which should be tested through the current procurement process, and which may be considered for future exploration. A decision on the Council’s preferred approach is expected to be presented to Cabinet in September 2026.

TESTIMONIAL