4.1 SWOT analysis
‘The earlier parts of this strategy identified a number of key issues at the national, regional and local level which need addressing in the development of the strategy.’
A key tool that has been used in the development of this strategy is a SWOT analysis. This looks at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the key issues we identified.
A SWOT analysis helps us summarise where we are now. It also helps assess the matches between strengths and opportunities, giving us some idea of what must be done in order to help North Lincolnshire achieve its vision for sport and active recreation. It’s a useful bridging tool between the assessment of national, regional and local issues and the development of the key strategic themes and action plan of the strategy. In other words, this assessment helps focus attention on the 'gap' between where North Lincolnshire is now and the vision of where it wants to be.
The SWOT analysis is based on identifying the opportunities and threats external to an organisation. (In this case the partnerships for sport and active recreation in North Lincolnshire.) The opportunities and threats in the analysis have been identified through looking at the issues identified in the section concerning national, local and regional contexts in this strategy. Strengths and weaknesses (which are internal to sport and active recreation in North Lincolnshire) have been identified by analysing the local context relating to the infrastructure for sport and active recreation. They’ve also been identified from people giving their views at the workshops.
4.2. Using the SWOT analysis to develop the strategic options
The SWOT analysis helps summarise the context for sport and active recreation in North Lincolnshire. It can also be used as a tool to generate strategic options by matching internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats. These options can include:
- Identifying opportunities that are a good fit to the strengths in North Lincolnshire and should be pursued.
- Improving areas of weakness to enable opportunities to be capitalised upon.
- Using strengths and/or improving weakness to reduce vulnerability to external threats.
In Appendix 3 we illustrate how the strategic options were developed by "matching" internal strengths and weaknesses, with external opportunities and threats.
We recognise that this is a highly prescriptive approach to developing strategic options. A key issue is that the ‘internal’ strengths and weaknesses have been drawn from the analysis of a context which is shared by a number of local partners. So the content of the strategy (what we do) will vary from partner to partner depending on their specific organisational priorities as well as the process for delivery (who does it and how do they do it). One of the problems with this type of approach in developing a strategy is the assumption that one organisation is involved. This is clearly not the case here, given the number of partners signing up to be involved in delivery of this strategy, and policy pressures for multi-agency working.
To combat this we have chosen to take an ‘emergent’ approach to developing these options, which means that the broad direction and key areas of work are set in the strategy but there is an acceptance that detailed annual action planning will need to be undertaken by key partners.
In the next section we’ve shaped the strategic options into a number of ‘strategic themes’ which are at the heart of this strategy. These outline how they can contribute to the overall task of increasing participation.
4.3 Active choices
4.3.1 Active places and spaces
This theme is about developing better quality ‘environments’ and opportunities for people to take part in sport and active recreation. North Lincolnshire needs to create an environment that encourages and supports both formal and informal activity. This means providing sports facilities, but also broadening horizons and being more creative in the way we think about spaces and places for sport, physical activity and active recreation. Research has shown that ‘neighbourhood variables’ can be a key determinant of participation. This includes safety issues, the availability of bike lanes and footpaths, neighbourhood aesthetics and the availability of places (parks and leisure centres) for physical activity and this theme builds on the findings from local consultation on these issues.
The council's commitments to facility realignment through the modernising leisure services programme will partly address the quality and satisfaction issues concerning formal, built facilities. But, there is an opportunity to develop new models of provision in North Lincolnshire through the Building Schools for the Future programme (family fitness centres), projects such as Scunthorpe United (a health promoting facility at the football ground) and Freshstart centres (health and wellbeing centres for older people and their families). A strong commitment to joint planning from people in North Lincolnshire is essential to ensure a co-ordinated approach that addresses the needs of the local community.
Quality parks and green spaces have a critical role to play in supporting increases in sport, physical activity and active recreation. The Scunthorpe Framework highlights this. However, there is a need for a Green Space and Open Space Strategy for the whole of North Lincolnshire.
Workplace settings have significant potential to increase physical activity levels. The North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust’s commitment to lead on the Health in the Workplace Programme in partnership with local employers will be a key element of this theme.
This theme also includes local work being done to deliver the regional priorities for sport. This is through the Humber Sports Partnership, and specifically the themes of building capacity and building the delivery systems. This will include support for implementing the local PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy, enhanced support to the voluntary sector, and workforce development to support opportunities.
4.3.2 Active travel (walking and cycling)
The strategy needs to link with transport planning to maximise opportunities for active travel and walking and cycling activity in leisure time. There are two approaches to this, firstly, developing the supply side, tackling the neighbourhood variables outlined above that support participation in these activities. Secondly, there’s the issue of generating demand for walking and cycling in North Lincolnshire. This theme supports regional priorities for building infrastructure and improved strategic planning to help participation.
4.3.3 Activating change
This is about developing strategies to increase demand for sport and active recreation. Game Plan highlights the importance of ‘stimulating the demand side’ for participation in sport, and active recreation, either through addressing information barriers or through overcoming barriers to access. This theme is concerned with individual motivation, aspirations, awareness and skills; in short ‘wanting and knowing how to be active’. This includes promoting a wider range of choices to help people become active. It’s therefore a scope which is broader than just looking at traditional sports.
Primarily focused on helping people to help change behaviour - this may involve strategies to develop new skills or types of workers in the physical activity workforce which support behaviour change, such as health trainers and senior peer group mentors.
Key issues to be addressed under this theme include developing a local physical activity promotion campaign. This will encourage employers to promote physical activity in workplace activity programmes (a different approach will be necessary for large employers such as the council than smaller employers). It will also encourage family-based activity and the development of local community advocates for sport, and active recreation. This theme should also include key actions to raise the profile of services within the council that can support voluntary and community sector organisations. This theme supports the regional priority for marketing sport and the need to increase the profile of sport and active recreation in the Humber area.
4.4 Active futures
4.4.1 Active children and families
This theme focuses on the needs of children, young people and their families. It wants to use sport and active recreation in an integrated way to support healthier lifestyles and to raise aspirations. Key to this approach is a focus on those who are least active. Childhood obesity levels nationally have increased by five per cent between 1995 and 2004 and one in four children are now obese in the 11 to 15 age range (Department of Health 2006). This theme places significant emphasis on environments and opportunities for physical activity. It complements the aim of the Play Strategy to increase the quantity and quality of play opportunities for children in North Lincolnshire. The Council also has a 'corporate parenting' responsibility for 'looked after' children which means that it must give priority to providing opportunities for sport and active recreation for them.
Key issues here include the need to develop a message that it is 'cool to be healthy'. This message needs to be backed up by a wide range of choices and options which reflect not only traditional activities, but also informal, extreme or street sports as these are more likely to be viewed as 'cool' by young people. Building Schools for the Future, ExtendedSchools and the PESSCL Strategy represents a significant opportunity to develop a 'whole school' approach to sport, physical activity and healthy lifestyles. This could enable some schools to become 'family fitness centres'. Research shows that parents, carers and families can be effective role models for children and young people. Raising awareness, aspirations and confidence of parents, carers and families to support family-based activity is therefore a key action.
4.5.2 Active in later life
This theme addresses the needs of older people, and specifically those who are least active. North Lincolnshire currently has a higher proportion of people in the older age groups than the national average. Over the next 10 years (and beyond) the proportion of the population in these age groups is forecast to grow at a faster rate than the rest of the country. This means that strategies to support health improvement and independent living among this age group will become an increasingly important issue locally.
Over £900,000 is available for Freshstart centres in North Lincolnshire. These help support independent living among older people. This is a big opportunity to address how physical activity related services are delivered alongside other services for older people. The British Heart Foundation's senior peer physical activity mentor scheme - Somebody Like Me – offers a possible model for increasing the number of physical activity advocates working with older people in North Lincolnshire. The appointment of the Active Ageing Development Officer will be important in driving this theme.
4.5.4 Active together – the development of ‘active partnerships’
This theme looks at the development of ‘Active Partnerships’ that build on what is currently working well. It also looks at the exploration of new partnerships (including the private sector – there are few examples of private sector investment in sport and active recreation in the area), to exploit opportunities more effectively. We’ve identified the need for a ‘strategy manager’ to coordinate and drive forward the strategy. We’ve also established a need for a Community Sports Network to improve coordination and support voluntary sport and community sector organisations. It will also help deliver the action plans of the strategy.
There is a need to think of new approaches to planning and delivering the strategy. These should recognise the problems and opportunities that come from North Lincolnshire being a mix of rural and urban areas. This could include the development of ‘localised’ sport and physical activity plans to try and coordinate work and resources across partners.
Building on the existing good work in the voluntary sector to develop capacity and opportunity is an important aspect of the strategy.
It is also important to find new funding streams that can help fund the delivery of parts of the strategy. We also need to identify better use of existing resources through joint planning and delivery. This is an important issue given the funding situations of primary care trusts and local reorganisation. Sport England's Investment Strategy can give matched funding on a two to one basis for projects. These projects must demonstrate local need and be supported at local level through community sports networks.
Another aspect of this theme is the need to focus on processes that measure performance and actually show the contribution of sport and physical activity. This theme includes actions that will contribute to the regional priorities to improve delivery systems, improved strategic planning and performance measurement.
The next section sets out key actions to develop these themes over the next five years.
