Council-owned leisure centres are there to boost residents’ health and help them keep fit. But a leading UK obesity organisation has warned this is being undermined by the presence of vending machines that sell unhealthy snacks, often in highly visible places like entrances and in front of changing rooms. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service submitted a freedom of information request to the council asking it how much money each site has made from these vending machines since 2021. According to the figures we received, Craven Leisure in Skipton has generated the most income at £26,926. An average 30-minute swim at a council-owned site like Bedale Leisure Centre or Nidderdale Pool in Patelely Bridge would burn 200 calories.
But if it was finished off with a bottle of Coca-Cola, which has 210 calories, these benefits would be cancelled out. Advertisement Advertisement North Yorkshire Council said it also offers healthy food at its leisure centres in cafes. Some council leisure centres are outsourced to private companies but North Yorkshire Council plans to bring them all in-house.
It has pledged to review the use of vending machines during the transition. Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance told the LDRS that snacks are damaging children’s health i.