Telford fitness staff face axe as schemes cash cut
Up to 28 fitness instructors and health workers will lose their jobs after funding for community schemes in Telford was cut.
But Telford & Wrekin Council, which took over responsibility for public health in April, has moved to reassure residents that popular walking for health groups and other services would not be axed completely.
The workers were employed by the Shropshire Community Health Trust to run or administer walking groups, local exercise classes and healthy living initiatives.
The council said that now the contract was ending, it could run the schemes using existing specialist health and fitness staff.
Councillor Richard Overton, who was elected chair of the new health and well-being board at its first meeting yesterday, said "We have and will continue to work with partners including the trust, to ensure that any changes are as smooth as possible and we continue to provide a quality service for the best value possible, in line with our health and well-being priorities."
At the meeting of the board, which brings together the council, the clinical commissioning group of medics and health professionals and other organisations involved in public health, representatives of the borough's many walking for health groups were told that the back-up they were used to getting from the trust could still continue through the council.
Louise Mills, from the public health team, offered to meet the groups privately to discuss the way forward.
She said: "There was a contract between the primary care trust and community health trust for a specialist physical activity team.
"The council already has skilled leisure, sports development and physical activity teams. We are working with the community trust to look at continuing in the absence of the paid posts."
She said most of the walking for health groups were run by volunteers – the council wanted to work with the volunteers to provide the administration and insurance back-up to make sure they could continue.
The meeting had earlier heard from Dr William Bird, a GP working in the field of physical activity for prevention and treatment of ill health, who said walking was one of the best ways to improve well-being.
He said: "About 70 per cent of us are not active enough for our health. Inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death in the world."
Councillor Paul Watling said the council had been working to introduce things like walking buses and forest schools to help increase activity levels among children, and to help them enjoy being active outdoors.
