Introduction
Labour’s 2024 Autumn Budget delivers major increases in spending, taxation and borrowing, including rises to the National Living Wage, National Insurance and Capital Gains Tax, alongside extended but reduced Business Rates relief for leisure operators. While these measures support public services, they also place additional financial pressure on fitness and leisure businesses. Longer‑term reforms—such as permanently lower Business Rates multipliers and a new Corporate Tax Roadmap—offer some stability. The Budget provides future opportunities through planned investment in grassroots sport, skills, preventative healthcare, and initiatives to reduce inactivity and support employment, though physical activity was largely absent from direct policy focus.
