Let’s Move London – ensuring regional policy is inclusive for all

For disabled people, these devolved decisions shape daily access to safe, welcoming and inclusive opportunities to be active. Activity Alliance is committed to working with partners across devolved regions to turn policy ambition into practical change. We support London Sport’s manifesto (April 2026), which sets out a city-wide approach to improving opportunities for all Londoners to be active.

The manifesto sets out five key areas to tackle physical inactivity in London: making physical activity central to community health and care; designing active environments as London grows; protecting and strengthening community sport; tackling inequalities through place-based working; and rethinking how we best make use of London’s current spaces. These priorities matter because they sit directly within the influence of devolved and local decision makers, and because they can either narrow or widen the activity gap for disabled people.

We welcome these priorities because the scale of inequality is clear: only 43% of disabled people feel they have the chance to be as active as they would like, compared with 69% of non‑disabled people. With around 1.2 million disabled people living in Greater London, closing this gap must be treated as a core test of whether regional policy is genuinely inclusive.

London also has an opportunity to lead on wellbeing. Activity Alliance’s Annual Disability and Activity Survey 2024 shows that among disabled people who feel lonely sometimes, often or always, two‑thirds agree that being active could help them feel less lonely (66%).

The manifesto’s focus on making better use of London’s spaces, including walking and wheeling, connects strongly with our own policy priorities on active environments and access to the outdoors. Disabled people tell us that being active outside can improve their health. Yet too often the built environment and public realm are designed in ways that exclude.

Our research shows fewer than half (44%) of disabled people find it easy to physically access outdoor spaces, compared with 78% of non‑disabled people. Our last Annual Disability and Activity Survey also shows only 14% of disabled people say “nothing stops me from being active in outdoor spaces”, compared with 29% of non‑disabled people. This gap points to systemic barriers - planning, maintenance, design standards, inclusive wayfinding and transport connections that devolved and local leaders can act on now. We therefore support the manifesto’s emphasis on making outdoor spaces more accessible for disabled people.

Activity Alliance is proud to support London Sport in shaping a more inclusive and active city for disabled Londoners. Through the joint Strategic Partnerships Advisor role, we are working within London Sport to help ensure priorities are informed by the voices and lived experiences of disabled people, using Activity Alliance insight, evidence and resources to embed inclusive practice from the outset.

The demand for the change is best illustrated in the statistics. In London 42% of disabled people are inactive, whilst 31% of families living in poverty have a disabled household member. From accessible spaces and active travel to community opportunities, this collaboration focuses on helping regional policy translate into meaningful, equitable change for all Londoners and going some way to tackling those statistics.

We recognise the financial pressure facing local authorities and regional leaders. But our evidence shows that investing in inclusive, accessible activity is not a ‘nice to have’—it delivers measurable social value. Our Social value of disabled people’s physical activity report (Activity Alliance and State of Life, December 2024) estimates a social value of £6,200 per disabled person per year if supported to meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guideline of 150+ minutes a week.

Even light activity alone is valued at £4,400 per disabled person per year. This equates to three to four times the value of non‑disabled people being active, and when moderate and light activity values are combined it indicates the societal cost of inequality is at least a £10.9 billion “activity gap”. For devolved regions, this is a compelling case for embedding inclusion into decisions on planning, transport, green space, leisure provision and community investment.

Tanya Rabin, Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Communications at London Sport said:

“We know that pressures on community facilities and public services are mounting. We therefore need to make better use of the spaces we already have - ensuring they are safe, welcoming and inclusive for everyone, particularly those facing the greatest barriers to access such as disabled people.

“Local authorities and leaders have a real opportunity to embed sport and physical activity into wider planning and decision making. If done well, this can help tackle inequalities across communities while delivering long-term benefits for health, wellbeing and social connection.”

London Sport’s manifesto also provides an important moment for policymakers across all devolved regions to reflect on what disabled people need from national, regional and local systems. Our manifesto, Fight for fairness: Disabled people’s right to sport and physical activity (April 2024), sets out our top policy asks for government and decision-makers across the country. It calls on government to:

• Provide clearer guidance and stronger safeguards so disabled people can be confident that being regularly active will not threaten their social security or other financial assistance.
• Work with the NHS to strengthen referral, advice and ongoing support so health and care professionals can help disabled people use physical activity in ways that work for them.
• Take a leading role in promoting and legislating inclusive design standards—so local and national places and spaces are accessible by default, and devolved regions can implement them consistently.