“These people, won’t and can’t exercise by themselves, they need a group, we can’t take them to the same piece of grass every day, they will get bored, we need to exercise their minds as well as their bodies”
These were words I heard on drive time radio this morning from a personal trainer. It would be easy to think that he was promoting his services, but what he was talking about was how his permit fees to use public open spaces for groups next year will go from around $5,000 a year now to almost $12,000 and his use of public open space will be curtailed in terms of choice and group size (limited to 12). He is often given reasons for permission to use open space being denied as “saturated use”. Saturated? at 5.30 am in the morning, a time that most local bureacrats have never seen in their waking hours. $12,000? Let’s say that people pay $20 per session. This guy will need to run 84 sessions before he is $1 in front – that is an obscene “tax” payable before income is assured.
A Disappearing Sight?
This is an extraordinary analogy for our People, Perfeormance, Profit crusade. Here we have a local government bureacracy putting up barriers to personal health in a society that is becoming increasingly obese. The mental health side of things is significant too. The trainer identified that he often works with people who would not otherwise exercise. This kind of group is social network, support network and exercise group all rolled into one. For group members that can not afford gyms, do not wish to train alone or feel self conscious, these councils are removing their one opportunity to improve their physical health, as well as their mind. How can people perform when they are not healthy and vital? What right does a local government body have to deny people access to open space that their taxes have already paid for and continue to maintain?
It is also a classic case study of a failure to align organisational objectives. At a national policy level, the economy, productivity and health services management and costs are all aligned priorities in an ageing society. Yet, here we have councils actively pursuing petty local policies that undermine every one of those national priorities.
I have never seen a sadder story for our overweight and depressed society, it is madness.
This a perfect case of bureaucracy gone mad profit before health. This is so ridiculous that it needs to be exposed for what it is.