A re-elected Labour Council in Lambeth will introduce free gym and swimming access for every under-16-year-old.

The commitment builds on this Labour council’s successful free swimming for under-11s and will expand access to include both swimming pools and gym facilities across the borough’s in-house leisure centres. This will sit alongside the other concessions that we already have in place to benefit our residents.

We know that families are feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and rising household bills and we are keen to act. We also know that investing in prevention by helping young people stay active and healthy reduces long-term costs in health and other public services.

At the 2022 local elections, Lambeth Labour pledged to take back control of Lambeth’s leisure services by bringing them back in-house, ensuring they work for residents and allowing us to introduce free swimming for under-11s. That pledge has been delivered.

Despite well over a decade of Tory/Lib Dem austerity, Lambeth has continued to prioritise frontline services and taken decisive action to strengthen its financial position in recent years, creating the stability needed to make responsible long-term commitments.

The significant progress made has been acknowledged by the council’s external auditors. A recent report highlighted “decisive actions being taken to identify and implement actions aimed at rectifying the council’s financial position.”

We are now asking residents for a mandate to deliver this in the next term.

These are Labour choices. Delivered with our Labour values. And this is just one way that Labour-run Lambeth Council will be helping local families with the cost-of-living crisis.