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Sport and the health of the nation
Since taking office in government in May 1997, New Labour launched a new public health strategy, setting goals for improving the overall health of the nation and recognising the impact that poverty, poor housing, unemployment and pollution have on health.
New Labour [ the government in 1999 ] believes that, with almost 90,000 people every year dying before they reach their 65th birthday, we have major opportunities to improve people's health. Of these people, more than 32,000 die of cancer, and 25,000 of heart disease, strokes and related illnesses.
In its consultative Green Paper Our Healthier Nation,the Government has set out two key aims:
- to improve the health of the population as a whole by increasing the length of people's lives and the number of years people spend free from illness
- to improve the health of the worst-off in society and to narrow the health gap.
This document provides evidence of the value of sport [ 1999 ] to the 'health of the nation'. It shows that the benefits of physical activity provided through sport can make a significant contribution to the health and quality of life of people in England. It demonstrates that sport can work in effective partnerships with agencies to deliver wideranging health benefits to all sections of the community. Sport, in combination with other lifestyle interventions, can prove to be one of the 'best buys' in preventive and rehabilitative health care.
Sport and Best Value
Best Value was a part of New Labour's wider modernisation programme aimed at bringing councils closer to their communities and promoting the role of councils in community leadership and governance. There was a statutory duty upon all local authorities to meet the requirements of Best Value as set out in the Local Government Bill published on 30th September 1998. Best Value applied to all local authorities as from 1st April 2000.
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