MORE than half of the people in Bradford do absolutely no exercise, costing the district nearly £25 million a year, a health board has heard.

Only one in five people exercise regularly, while 54 per cent are totally inactive, a meeting of the Bradford and Airedale Health and Wellbeing Board was told yesterday.

This puts Bradford behind neighbouring local authorities and it is costing the district dear, as inactive people are more likely to need treatment for heart disease, type two diabetes, cancer and obesity.

Councillor Andrew Thornton, executive member for sport at Bradford Council, told the board that the estimated cost to the district of people's inactivity was £24.7 million each year.

This included costs to the health services as well as to businesses because of absenteeism from work, he said.

And he said that nationally, far less public health money was ploughed into tackling this issue than with comparable health risks such as alcohol abuse.

He said: "That has got, got, to change."

The meeting heard the district's current strategy on sport and physical activity was due to end in 2015.

Officers had suggested extending this strategy for a further two years, with some tweaks, until a new national strategy was unveiled in 2017.

But Bradford Council leader and health board chairman, Councillor David Green, said he wanted to see action taken sooner.

He said: "Let's get something that actually reflects the needs and resources in Bradford, regardless of what eventually comes out as a puff of white smoke from somewhere in Whitehall or Westminster."

Local initiatives have already started to get people more active, the meeting heard.

A scheme allowing GPs or practice nurses to refer people to exercise classes is helping 1,000 people and this will hopefully be increased to 5,000 within a year, public health consultant Julia Burrows said.

And mass cycling events such as the annual Sky Rides were proving a success.

But Councillor Simon Cooke (Con) said getting the message through to people would take time.

He said: "We have spent the last decade banging on at people about their five-a-day and eating better food and finally that has worked.

"We need to recognise that we are not going to turn this around by 2017. It is going to take a decade."