Council funds free gym memberships for under 18s

Free gym memberships will be available to all under 18s in Liverpool under a new council scheme.

Liverpool City Council said the plan would help tackle the city's obesity crisis as well as give young people safe places to go after school.

Harry Doyle, the council's Cabinet member for health, wellbeing and culture said £250,000 had been set aside to run the scheme across the city's 13 Lifestyle Centres.

He said: "We've seen youth funding cut over the last 14 years and people say 'there's nothing for kids to do' - this is giving them that space and that access and removing that financial barrier."

He added: "Almost half of our school children are overweight or obese by the time they leave Year 6, and we need to make sure our children are leading healthier lives".

Some critics had complained the scheme could lead to teenagers "hanging around" at the leisure centres, Doyle said.

But he said it was hard to be a teenager sometimes as "people don't want them hanging around the streets, but they don't want them hanging around the gym either", and suggested society needed to shift its perception of young people.

Mother-of-two Katarzyna Wysokinska, from Garston, said the free membership would be welcomed by her 16-year-old gym-obsessed son.

She said: "At the moment we are paying over £30 per month for him to be a member of our nearest gym.

"If he does want to go to the gym and stay healthy and stay out of trouble, it costs us.

"My husband and I both work full-time, earning above minimum wage, and the price of sports for both our children is going up and up along with everything else".

Describing the scheme as "amazing for young people", she suggested it could help keep teenagers "off the street".

However, she conceded that for some existing Lifestyles members, the potential for teenagers to be disturbing their tranquil weekend swim could be an issue.

In response Doyle said the scheme would be monitored and the council would "make sure there is space through the day for everybody".

Another mother, Nicola Ward from the Dingle said the plan "would be awesome".

She said: "I spend £30 for me per month and £23 per month for my son to swim and exercise.

"Fitness is really important to our family, and it's nice for my son to get off his iPad. "Life is so expensive for parents, it's hard to find affordable activities".

Since December 2023, Park Road and Everton Park Lifestyles sites have been subject to discussions with potential new operators, after the council said they were too expensive to run.

The council said it had held detailed discussions with the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Foundation and St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust.

For Everton Park, a long-lease agreement is now being explored. This would allow the Academy Trust to operate the centre while maintaining public access.

At Park Road, plans are being developed for a multi-partner sports hub, including its role as a national centre of best practice in gymnastics.

Children had access to free swimming and gym membership in Liverpool between 2009-2013, but the scheme was scrapped due to budget cuts.

Carl Cashman leader of the city's Liberal Democrat opposition group, said: "This is a last-ditch attempt by Labour to stop their support draining away at the local elections.

"In some cases, these young people can't even access facilities at a council owned gym in the first place if they live in Tuebrook, for example."

The swimming pool at the Lifestyles gym in Tuebrook has been closed for repairs for six years.

Cashman added that the council should offer more support to the city's private gyms, where he said there were "many role models" for young people but who "are suffering as a result of Labour's national tax hikes".

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