John Comiskey: School facilities are key to raising fitness levels,

In the words of the Department of Health, "Physically active people reduce their risk of premature death by between 20 and 30 per cent and of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes by 50 per cent". The human, financial and social costs, therefore, of not reversing these negative activity trends will be huge.

And yet the financial realities that councils face mean that, far from investing more in public access leisure provision, they are being forced to make cuts.

Edinburgh Leisure, which manages sport and leisure facilities on behalf of the city council, has a proud track record of both increasing participation and reducing the burden on the public purse. As a not-for-profit social enterprise, every penny we receive goes directly into services aimed at getting and keeping people active.

Faced with funding cuts of over 1m a year, therefore, the inevitable consequence for Edinburgh is a restriction in services and/or higher prices, both of which will deter, rather than promote, increased activity levels.

So what's to be done? A good starting point would be some clear joined-up thinking between health, leisure and education.

In Edinburgh I believe the biggest single step we as a city could make to boost physical activity is to unlock the full potential of the pools, gyms, halls and pitches in our secondary schools.

These wonderful facilities are correctly used to enhance our children's learning experience during school hours. Outwith those hours, however, their availability for community use is sporadic and inconsistent. Until they become truly viewed as assets to be used for the benefit of the wider community, and are run professionally and consistently, we will struggle to combat inactivity.

• John Comiskey is chief executive of Edinburgh Leisure