Allow gyms and leisure centres to reopen
136,163 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 22 April 2020; it closed on 22 October 2020. The Government responded on 13 May 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 15 July 2020.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Allow gyms and leisure centres to reopen
The goal is to get the government to rethink their decision to close gyms and leisure centres and to come to an agreement to reopen them. As myself and many people rely on gym as part of therapy or a source of happiness I think it would be beneficial for all to reopen them.
We want the government to change its decision and allow gyms and leisure centres across the UK to reopen. This is because people rely on these facilities to reach their goals of fitness. Shutting gyms limits opportunities to exercise which could affect people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 13 May 2020. Its summary:
The Government recognises the importance of physical activity to the nation’s wellbeing and is working with the leisure sector to reopen facilities as soon as possible in a safe and controlled way.
The opening 313 words of the 443-word response:
The Government recognises the importance of physical activity to the nation’s health and wellbeing and is working with the gym and leisure sector to reopen facilities as soon as possible in a safe and controlled way. Government’s first priority is to ensure that Covid-19 is brought under control and that actions it takes do not undermine efforts to protect public health.
Government is in discussions with a range of sports organisations, including the gym and leisure sector, about the actions that would need to be taken to restart grassroots sport and reopen facilities in a safe way. It has asked sport and physical activity organisations to consider what steps they would need to take, and guidance they would need to develop, to allow this to happen. This will be used to support the government’s decision-making around future public health guidelines.
This is not straightforward. There are many issues to consider, including how gyms could reopen and operate whilst meeting social distancing guidelines, how access in and out of facilities may need to be changed, whether facilities will have enough workers to operate safely and effectively, and whether people will be willing to come back to gyms if they do reopen. The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy is also considering what guidance is needed on how workplaces can operate effectively and safely once the lockdown starts to ease.
The Government has also published updated guidance on grassroots sport which sets out information on the phased return of outdoor sport and recreation. This includes further details for members of the public on how they can take unlimited exercise outside, and on the steps that outdoor facilities need to take to re-open, should they wish to do so, from Wednesday 13 May. As part of this, people will be able to exercise outdoors one-on-one with a personal trainer, providing that social distancing is maintained.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 563, came from Leigh.
136,001 of the signatures were from the UK and 162 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Leigh | 563 |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 484 |
| Warrington South | 482 |
| Wallasey | 463 |
| Bootle | 451 |
| Halton | 445 |
| Makerfield | 444 |
| Wigan | 443 |
| Warrington North | 437 |
| Liverpool, Riverside | 427 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 21,020 |
| South East | 16,571 |
| London | 15,313 |
| East of England | 13,288 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 11,301 |
| West Midlands | 11,013 |
| East Midlands | 10,644 |
| South West | 9,951 |
| Wales | 6,618 |
| North East | 6,514 |
| Scotland | 6,135 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,060 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 15 July 2020. Read the debate in Hansard.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/307146.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
860a7ecc2333c166… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.