HSP Strategic Plan 2022-27: Mid-Term Refresh Summer 2025

It gives us great pleasure to introduce this refreshed version of the Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership’s Strategic Plan 2022-27.

Much has changed in both the political and social landscape since we launched the Strategy over three years ago, hot on the heels of a pandemic which hugely disrupted community life.

Since that time, we have seen a change of Government, further global instability, and on the home front, a deepening of the cost-of-living crisis. Nevertheless, our Vision has remained constant – More People, More Active, More Often – and since launching the strategy, we have intensified our efforts in using sport and physical activity to help address the disadvantage and inequalities faced by many of our inactive population.

The pandemic may be over, but it very much left its mark, particularly in terms of the mental health of the nation, and we have adapted our work to play our part in countering this.

The hike in energy costs and their subsequent impact on leisure operators, has caused hardship to our voluntary sports clubs that were already reeling from a significant loss of volunteers following the covid years.

Given the scale of the changes to the operating environment, it was thought prudent to revisit our strategy to test and challenge its relevance and effectiveness, and we did this through extensive consultation with key partners and stakeholders across the sector.

Encouragingly, our approach and the overall thrust of the strategy was endorsed but on the back of that consultation, we have made several key changes. Uppermost amongst those is that we have included Children and Young People as a standalone key strategic objective – replacing Covid Recovery. The impact of the pandemic on the lives of our children and young people should not be underestimated and this has been reflected in the refreshed document.

As always, we are keen to ensure that this document is a living one that reflects the needs of our partners. Already the Partnership has set about delivering the new objective, by adopting children and young people as the focus for our Sport England funded place-based work in two of the county’s most deprived areas – Cowley Hill (Hertsmere) and Waltham Cross (Broxbourne).

Whilst remaining responsive to new opportunities and challenges, this refreshed strategy will very much guide our work until the end of the current Sport England funding period – March 2027 – and will provide the wherewithal for the Partnership’s Board to hold the Executive Team to account for its delivery – as well as reinforcing our values and key enablers of change.

However, we fully appreciate, that the strategy can only be successfully delivered with the support of the wider sport, physical activity and health sector in Hertfordshire and we want all stakeholders to join us on what will continue to be a very challenging journey where the stakes are high but where the rewards – including the health and wellbeing of our residents - could be massive.

Mervyn Morgan – Chair
Hester Hearn – Vice Chair
Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership

Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership – Strategic Plan 2022-27 Summary