Leisure cuts are self defeating - Sue Webber

Participants are gently put through their paces on Edinburgh Leisure's Steady Steps programme

Gyms and badminton courts are what everyone expects, but what caught my eye was the falls prevention programme offered by Edinburgh Leisure.

No, not advanced judo classes, but the “Steady Steps” scheme it delivers in conjunction with the Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership, which is for anyone who has had or is at risk of having a fall, mainly older people.

As most of us know, for the frail and elderly a fall can be catastrophic, if not life-ending, so preventing falls should help relieve strain on already struggling accident and emergency units, especially at this time of year.

And even if we don’t put it into practice, most of us appreciate the benefits of leading a more active life, and that exercise can improve mental health, so organisations like Edinburgh Leisure should be seen as integral to the NHS, not distinct from it.

Yet, it seems to be more vulnerable to the whim of council budget cuts, and so Edinburgh Leisure now faces losing a massive £2.5 million of its funding while it works out how it will cover the National Insurance rise in April.

That only means higher charges, shorter hours and, in the longer term, potentially poorer health outcomes, at a time when their services should be expanding and made more affordable.