Three quarters of children in Bradford are not getting enough exercise – and just six per cent of South Asian girls are considered active.

The figures were raised at a meeting this week where the Bradford Physical Activity Strategy was being discussed.

The strategy aims to encourage Bradford residents to live more active lives, and goals include creating more parks and green spaces in inner city areas.

The Bradford and Airedale Wellbeing Panel heard that the strategy was intended to make it easier for people in all areas of the District to get active.

A report before the committee said there were “stark inequalities” in access to greenspace in Bradford, with some areas surrounded by useable parks, woods and green areas, and many inner-city areas having little or no green space for children to play.

Jan Burkhardt, project lead for JU:MP Bradford, told members: “We need to improve access to green space for the most disadvantaged communities. However, we’re struggling to maintain the space we already have. We need to highlight the areas of the District that have very little green space.”

She pointed out Kashmir Park, a green space and play area that was created in 2021 on a former allotment site on Scotchman Road, as a good example of how spaces could be created in inner city areas.

The new strategy will be rolled out across the District, although there will be a particular focus on areas where people are least active.

A consultation on the strategy was held last year, with over 1,000 residents responding. Numerous people in the consultation said Bradford was too much of a “car centric” city for its residents to feel safe walking or cycling.

Charles Dacres, co chair of Active Travel Bradford, said: “Around 31.9 per cent of people in Bradford are inactive in Bradford – that is quite significant.”

He pointed out that healthy life expectancy – the age at which you start experiencing life effecting health problems, was 20 years lower in Manningham than it was in Wharfedale.

Members were told that 77 per cent of children in the District were not active enough, and activity levels varied by ethnicity and family income levels.

Just six per cent of South Asian girls were active enough – members heard.

As well as improving access to green space, priorities of the scheme include more support for active travel (walking and cycling), encourage schools and workplaces to increase physical activity among pupils/staff and communicating the 20-minute movement campaign – which encourages people to be active at least 20 minutes each day.