Visits to the borough’s leisure centres were up 5% in 2024/25

The outside of New Barnet leisure centre and library — New Barnet Leisure Centre

Barnet’s Labour administration says increased use of the borough’s leisure centres is a vindication of the council’s participation initiatives.

There were 1,661,819 individual visits to the centres in 2024/25, a 5% increase on 2023/24, which itself was a 10% improvement on the year before.

Labour attributes this “surge in numbers” to initiatives to boost participation including the ‘Get Active, Give it a Go!’ campaign which offered a range of activities across leisure centres either for free or at a discount.

Commenting on the figures, the council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure, art and sports, Anne Clarke, said: “The Conservatives ran the council with a lack of direction or drive. There was a real sense of drift over areas like participation in sport and leisure.

“Barnet Labour is determined to deliver, and the results are there to see. It’s great our residents are using our leisure centres more than they have done in years.”

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