A big opportunity to demonstrate the impact of our collective approach

By Joe Sarling | 23 July 2025 | TAGS: Joe Sarling

Since the recent Spending Review by government, there has been a huge amount of news, guidance, and policy from Westminster. Constrained by a challenging fiscal position, central government has been looking for ways to be both economically prudent and domestically transformational.  

We’ve seen many lengthy publications and speeches ahead of summer recess. The NHS 10-Year Plan was published; more guidance provided on the Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, the £39bn of housing investment with a focus on social housing, and the Local Government Outcomes Framework; an announcement on Mayoral commitment to active travel with a focus on children and young people; and a new Civil Society Covenant was announced, to name a few.  

These are not insignificant announcements individually, let alone when they’re all announced in a very short space of time. 

The key approach is to consider the common themes across all proposals.  

They all have a focus on an expanded and more influential role for communities. They are all rooted in the mechanism and potential of devolution ensuring powers, budgets, and approaches are closer to the people that are affected by them. And there is a clear public investment and policy shift towards overcoming inequalities, regeneration, improving places, and prioritising health creation.  

This is where a focus on those common themes through the lens of place can reap rewards.  

If those principles hold then central government is sending a clear signal across a range of issues for desired outcomes without being centrally prescriptive. There is a real and time-limited moment for places to join dots, work out the best way forward and not wait for national government for answers. 

The opportunity is for places to think in a whole system, place-based way to create the conditions for improved places, wellbeing, and health. Bringing these commitments together in a connected way, all focused on improving specific outcomes is the prize.  

For physical activity and movement, the case has been strongly made by central government across many announcements – this is the signal we should focus on. 

It’s now an opportunity for places to think, design, and articulate how they’ll work holistically and cross-departmentally to embed practice and achieve these outcomes. 

Now is the time for action and participation. 

I was filled with optimism when I read the recently published Greater Manchester Strategy, which shares a similar and aligned perspective. It sets out our ‘collective vision for a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life’. It takes a holistic view of the challenges and opportunities ahead, and GM Moving partners can be confident that everyone has a role to play, with plenty of scope for physical activity to contribute to the city region’s shared ambition. 

 But it is also clear that it’s crucial to turn vision into delivery – to be a ‘prevention demonstrator’ it’s important that we demonstrate the ways in which our collective and collaborative approach delivers better outcomes for people and communities.  

Bringing these collective and holistic approaches, contributions, and stories of delivery to the fore is vital not only for how we work within GM but also to continue to encourage the positive shifts in perspective from central government.  

We have an opportunity to demonstrate how this can work in practice in our place; let’s roll up sleeves and work together.