Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics

(Form updated October 2023)

Leisure Membership Pricing Review

Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are public documents.  EIAs accompanying reports going to County Councillors for decisions are published with the committee papers on our website and are available in hard copy at the relevant meeting.  To help people to find completed EIAs we also publish them in the Equality and Diversity section of our website.  This will help people to see for themselves how we have paid due regard in order to meet statutory requirements. 

Name of Directorate and Service Area	Community Development / Sports & Active Wellbeing
Lead Officer and contact details	David Ashbridge
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA	Ben Walker, Richard Mair, Thomas Stead
How will you pay due regard? e.g. working group, individual officer	Working group
When did the due regard process start?	23^rd October 2025

Section 1. Please describe briefly what this EIA is about. (e.g. are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, stopping doing something?)

Currently, the service is operating under legacy pricing and membership structures and there are currently over 70 variations of membership pricing. This presents significant challenges and inconsistencies and highlights the need for a comprehensive review to establish a single, consistent ANY approach that meets the needs of residents and communities across North Yorkshire.

Section 2. Why is this being proposed? What are the aims? What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (e.g. to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.)

As part of this transition, there is a need to create a single pricing model with the following objectives:

· Maintain current income levels while unlocking greater commercial potential to grow income.

· Support the planned works outlined in the Leisure Investment Strategy, enabling the service to maximise commercial performance and achieve projected income targets linked to these investments.

· Establish a fair, consistent, and more equitable membership structure across all sites.

· Create clear pathways for all customer types, encouraging more people to become and remain active.

· Position ANY as a health and wellbeing service, not just a traditional leisure provider.

· Simplify marketing through targeted campaigns for specific user groups.

Section 3. What will change? What will be different for customers and/or staff?

As a result of the membership and pricing review customers may see an impact on memberships available to them, prices of memberships, access, hubs available and products associated within their membership. Depending on the membership offer they take up, the impact on the individual would be dependent on the offer they choose.

This proposal includes changing senior age-based concession pricing so that eligibility begins at the current minimum State Pension age of 66 (rising to 67 in 2026) for new customers – existing concessions will remain valid for their existing membership. Customers younger than this age can still access concessionary pricing if they meet the eligibility criteria for other concession categories. Harrogate and Everyone Active centres already operate using this state pension age-based concession model.

Section 4. Involvement and consultation (What involvement and consultation has been done regarding the proposal and what are the results? What consultation will be needed and how will it be done?)

A membership survey was conducted with existing users to understand preferences and behaviours. The survey explored:

· Sites used and frequency of visits.

· Activities participated in.

· Advance booking preferences.

· Importance of features such as: multi-site access, 24-hour gym availability, household/family memberships, flexible contracts, and digital/on-demand classes.

· Interest in private healthcare add-ons, including: 24-hour GP access, dieticians, physiotherapy, and mental health services.

· Customer service priorities, including: cleaning standards, equipment quality, staff interactions, booking experience, and parking availability.

· Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

The survey received 4,673 responses, representing approximately 24% of the current member base.

Section 5. What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?

· It is expected that the proposals will increase levels of income in order to support the ongoing financial sustainability of the leisure service. Financial modelling has been undertaken, however, precise income levels will depend on customer behaviour.

· The aim is to establish a fair, consistent, and more equitable membership structure across all sites, which is  designed to protect and grow existing income levels while creating an attractive, competitive offer that supports new member acquisition.

Section 6. How will this proposal affect people with protected characteristics?	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
Age		✓	✓	The changes affecting this protected characteristic will have both positive and negative impacts. This proposal includes changing senior age-based concession pricing so that eligibility begins at the current minimum State Pension age of 66 (rising to 67 in 2026). Customers younger than this age can still access concessionary pricing if they meet the eligibility criteria for other concession categories. Harrogate and Everyone Active centres already operate using this 66+ age-based concession model. This will create a more f equitable offer. As part of the new membership offer we will be creating a virtual health and wellbeing product giving users access to remote healthcare for GP, dietician, physio and mental health. Additionally, there will be a ‘wellbeing membership’ that will give customers on health referral pathways a reduced price to make active north Yorkshires facilities more accessible. Work is currently underway to develop a junior membership offer to create a fair and consistent approach.
Disability		✓		The criteria for disability and concessions will remain in place, the positive change will be impacted by improved access to remote packages and referral pathways.
Sex	✓
Race	✓
Gender reassignment	✓
Sexual orientation	✓
Religion or belief	✓
Pregnancy or maternity	✓
Marriage or civil partnership	✓

Section 7. How will this proposal affect people who…	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
..live in a rural area?		✓		Increased access to virtual packages will have a positive impact on rural residents who may not live near a physical leisure centre.
…have a low income?		✓	✓	The changes affecting this criteria will have both a positive and negative impacts on pricing for people on low incomes. The existing concession eligibility will remain. This proposal will make for a more consistent and fair approach, however, some customers in some areas may see pricing increased. This will be mitigated to some extent by more basic offers which prioritise access and affordability, alongside a “premium offer” with a wider range of benefits.
…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?		✓	✓	The changes affecting thiscriteria will have both a positive and negative impacts on pricing for carers. The existing concession eligibility will remain Depending on the customers existing membership price and new membership choice, they could see either an increase or decrease within their members fees.
….. are from the Armed Forces Community		✓	✓	The changes affecting this criteria will have both a positive and negative impacts on pricing for people from the Armed Forces. The existing concession eligibility will remain however pricing will be updated as part of the wider review. This proposal will make for a more consistent and fair approach.

Section 8. Geographic impact – Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply)
North Yorkshire wide	✓
Craven	✓
Hambleton	✓
Harrogate	✓
Richmondshire	✓
Ryedale	✓ - will be impacted from July 2027 when Everyone Active joins the ANY service
Scarborough	✓ - will be impacted from July 2027 when Everyone Active joins the ANY service
Selby	✓
If you have ticked one or more areas, will specific town(s)/village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below.
Harrogate will be covered by a slightly different pricing model to the rest of North Yorkshire to the reflect local market. This approach introduces a two-tier pricing structure, with Harrogate, Knaresborough, and Ripon Leisure and Wellbeing Hubs positioned at a higher rate (note this will also include new customers joining Northallerton and Thirsk centres), these facilities comparatively demand a higher price point due to location and have an enhanced offer, following recent significant investment.  Other areas will be impacted by the change in the qualifying age for the older persons concession to state pension age. Some customers in some areas may experience an increase in pricing. However, some customers will benefit from greater flexibility such as no contracts and virtual memberships. The changes will apply a greater degree of consistency and fairness across the area. Pricing will remain under review as the leisure investment strategy progresses; prices will remain under regular review in line with facility upgrades.

Section 9. Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (e.g. older women or young gay men) State what you think the effect may be and why, providing evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.

n/a

Section 10. Next steps to address the anticipated impact. Select one of the following options and explain why this has been chosen. (Remember: we have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can access services and work for us)	Tick option chosen
1. No adverse impact - no major change needed to the proposal. There is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact identified.	✓
2. Adverse impact - adjust the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We will change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, or we will achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people.
3. Adverse impact - continue the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We cannot change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, nor can we achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people. (There must be compelling reasons for continuing with proposals which will have the most adverse impacts. Get advice from Legal Services)
4. Actual or potential unlawful discrimination - stop and remove the proposal – The EIA identifies actual or potential unlawful discrimination. It must be stopped.
Explanation of why option has been chosen. (Include any advice given by Legal Services.) The revised pricing structure and model has been thoroughly evaluated to ensure fair equitable impacts on customers; it is not felt that any changes will have a significant adverse effect on groups with protected characteristics. Some groups will benefit from a more consistent application of concessions and the introduction of new membership types such as wellbeing memberships for those who come through a referral route. The most significant impact will be price increases for some customers in some areas, particularly in areas where prices have not been reviewed for a number of years and where specific offers have been applied (e.g. price for life), some of these customers may have protected characteristics or live in disadvantaged areas. Additional measures to mitigate the impact on those most affected are being considered, such as offering a reduced rate for a limited period to help phase in the changes.

Section 11. If the proposal is to be implemented how will you find out how it is really affecting people? (How will you monitor and review the changes?)

Pricing will remain under review and we will undertake regular customer feedback surveys.

Section 12. Action plan. List any actions you need to take which have been identified in this EIA, including post implementation review to find out how the outcomes have been achieved in practice and what impacts there have actually been on people with protected characteristics.
Action	Lead	By when	Progress	Monitoring arrangements

Section 13. Summary Summarise the findings of your EIA, including impacts, recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.

Active North Yorkshire is at a pivotal stage in its transition to a unified leisure and wellbeing service. The current complexity of legacy pricing and membership structures limit operational efficiency and customer experience. The proposed options aim to deliver a fair, consistent, and commercially sustainable model that supports accessibility, encourages participation, and positions ANY as a leading health and wellbeing provider. Implementing these changes will require careful communication and phased delivery to manage risks and maintain customer confidence.

Section 14. Sign off section

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: Ben Walker

Job title: Commercial Development Manager

Directorate: Community Development

Signature:

Name: Richard Mair

Job title: Corporate Strategy and Performance Lead

Directorate: Resources

Signature:

Name: Thomas Stead

Job title: Project Manager

Directorate: Resources

Signature: T.Stead

Completion date: 14/11/2025

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature): Jo Ireland

Date: 19/12/25