In a city where world‑class stadiums and bustling parks share space with crowded pavements and patchy transport links, not everyone has the same chance to get active. “Let’s Move London” – a new initiative from Activity Alliance and partners across the capital – asks a simple but urgent question: who is being left behind by London’s sport and physical activity policies, and what will it take to change that?
As London invests in new facilities, regeneration schemes and health programmes, disabled people and other marginalised groups continue to face stark inequalities in access, opportunity and experience. The project aims to shine a light on these gaps,challenging policy‑makers and sector leaders to design a more inclusive approach from the outset,rather than retrofitting accessibility later. Drawing on lived experience, research and collaboration with local organisations, “Let’s Move London” sets out a blueprint for a capital where every resident – regardless of impairment, background or postcode – can move more, play more and belong more.
Building an active capital how Let’s Move London is reshaping inclusive sport and physical activity policy
By bringing policy specialists, disabled people’s organisations and grassroots leaders into one continuous conversation, the initiative is turning strategy into lived change on streets, estates and sports halls across the capital. London’s boroughs are being supported to embed disability inclusion from the outset, not as an afterthought, in everything from leisure center contracts to school sport funding. This is driving a shift away from traditional participation targets towards equity-focused measures that track whether deaf, disabled and neurodivergent Londoners can truly access and enjoy opportunities. The work is underpinned by shared data tools, co-designed guidance, and a commitment to test, learn and adapt in real time with local communities.
- Co-design panels featuring disabled Londoners shaping new programmes.
- Accessibility standards built into regional investment criteria.
- Community activation funds for hyper-local inclusive sessions.
- Shared training for coaches, volunteers and policy teams.
| Policy Focus | Inclusive Outcome |
|---|---|
| Facility design | Step-free, sensory-aware environments |
| Programme funding | Ring-fenced budget for disabled participants |
| Workforce growth | Coaching skills in inclusive delivery |
| Participation metrics | Data disaggregated by impairment and borough |
This collaborative model is also challenging how power is held and used across London’s physical activity system. Borough officers, regional agencies and providers are being asked to share decision-making with communities who have historically been excluded from sport. That shift is reflected in new accountability mechanisms, where local plans must demonstrate how they will reach disabled residents facing multiple barriers – from poverty and racism to inaccessible transport. By aligning strategic frameworks, funding rules and on-the-ground delivery in this way, the programme is creating a blueprint for an urban region where moving more is not a privilege, but a realistic, supported choice for every Londoner.
Invisible barriers the lived reality of disabled Londoners in local sport provision
Across the capital, Disabled people describe an everyday experience of sport and activity defined less by visible ramps and more by quiet refusals: a coach who avoids eye contact, an online booking form that won’t accept a support worker, a changing room with no privacy curtain. These seemingly minor frictions add up to a clear message – you are not expected here. While many borough strategies reference equality, the reality on the ground is often shaped by rushed risk assessments, inflexible timetables and inaccessible digital platforms that lock people out before they even reach the sports hall door. Lived experience from Disabled Londoners highlights how assumptions about capability and fear of “getting it wrong” among staff still override policy commitments and legal duties.
- Facts barriers: timetables in unreadable PDFs, no BSL or audio options, and vague details about accessibility features.
- Procedural barriers: complex registration systems, medical sign‑off demands, and short notice changes to sessions.
- Attitudinal barriers: staff who see reasonable adjustments as “extra work”, or who default to excluding people “for safety”.
- Environmental barriers: poor lighting,crowded spaces,and equipment stored in ways that restrict wheelchair users.
| Barrier type | Everyday impact |
|---|---|
| Booking systems | Online forms reject carers, so people stay home. |
| Staff training | Coaches lack confidence, so sessions quietly exclude. |
| Communication | Access info is missing, so venues feel too risky to try. |
From consultation to co creation embedding disabled people’s voices in every policy decision
Transforming engagement from a box-ticking exercise into genuine partnership means placing disabled Londoners in the driving seat of decision-making.Instead of one-off surveys or inaccessible town hall meetings, regional planning must be shaped through ongoing, accessible forums where disabled people set priorities, scrutinise proposals and help design solutions. This involves co-design workshops at community level, lived experience panels that feed directly into mayoral strategies, and accessible digital platforms that allow people to respond on their own terms and timelines. It also requires fair payment for expertise, so that insight drawn from lived experience is valued on par with professional consultancy.
To embed this way of working, policy teams need structures, not slogans. That means clear routes for disabled people’s organisations to influence regional sport, transport and planning strategies, and clear reporting on how their input changes final decisions. Practical measures include:
- Early involvement – inviting disabled people to shape briefs before policies are drafted.
- Multiple formats – BSL, easy read, audio, and community language options for every consultation.
- Feedback loops – publishing what was heard, what changed, and what did not-with reasons.
- Shared power – co-chairing boards and working groups with disabled representatives.
| Stage | Old Approach | Inclusive Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Policy design | Consult after draft | Co-create from the start |
| Engagement | Single survey | Ongoing, multi-channel dialog |
| Impact | Unclear influence | Visible changes and public reporting |
Funding, facilities and frontline staff concrete steps to deliver truly inclusive activity across all boroughs
Meaningful change starts with where money flows, how spaces are designed and who greets people at the door. London’s funding models must move beyond short-term pilots and postcode lotteries, prioritising co-designed programmes with Deaf and disabled Londoners and ringfencing budgets for reasonable adjustments, adaptive equipment and ongoing staff development.Boroughs, leisure trusts and grassroots groups can collaborate to map participation gaps, then target investment into estates, community centres and parks where disabled people are least active.This also means reviewing pricing structures, travel subsidies and grant criteria so that inclusive provision is not the exception but the baseline expectation in every community.
On the ground, inclusive policy is made real by the condition of facilities and the confidence of frontline staff. Venues need step-free journeys, clear wayfinding, quiet spaces and accessible changing areas as standard, not optional extras. Staff and volunteers must be trained – and retrained – in disability equality, communication and safeguarding, with time protected in rotas to put that learning into practice. To support decision-makers and operators, the framework below shows how boroughs can align money, environments and people to create activity offers that work for everyone:
- Direct investment into inclusive community clubs and local disability sport providers.
- Accessible facility audits embedded in all capital and refurbishment projects.
- Mandatory inclusion training for reception, coaching and management teams.
- Local partnerships with user-led organisations to test, challenge and refine delivery.
- Transparent reporting on participation by impairment, gender, age and borough.
| Area | Current Gap | Concrete Action |
|---|---|---|
| Funding | Short-term, uneven grants | Multi-year, ringfenced inclusion budgets |
| Facilities | Inconsistent access across boroughs | London-wide access standards for sport spaces |
| Frontline staff | Limited confidence and training | Ongoing disability equality and co-delivery training |
To Conclude
Ensuring that regional policy truly reflects the diversity of London is not a one-off exercise but an ongoing responsibility. Let’s Move London demonstrates that when disabled people and their organisations are meaningfully involved from the outset, strategies become more realistic, more relevant and more likely to succeed.
As funding decisions and policy frameworks continue to evolve, the challenge now is to embed this inclusive approach across every borough and every programme, rather than treating it as an optional add-on. That means consistent collaboration with disabled people’s organisations, robust data on who is being left behind, and a willingness to redesign environments, systems and attitudes that still act as barriers to participation.
Activity Alliance’s work offers a blueprint: put disabled people at the centre, invest in accessible opportunities, and measure success by who is included, not just by numbers on a page. If London is serious about becoming a city where everyone can be active, then inclusion cannot sit on the margins of regional policy. It has to move to the very heart of how decisions are made – and who they are made for.
