Sport England told us that lots of sports facilities providers had used their organisational reserves to stay afloat during the pandemic and were now in a precarious financial position. The Department also recognised that “many clubs are coming out of a really difficult period and many clubs are struggling”.51 We received written evidence from the Local Government Association, which told us that the total energy bill for the leisure sector had risen from £500 million in 2019 to between £1–1.2 billion for 2022.52 We also 45 Q 48; C&AG’s report, para 2.23, Figure 11 46 Q 42 47 Correspondence to the chair submitted by Sport England, 14 November 2022 48 Qq 56, 61; C&AG‘s report, para 1 49 Q 48 50 Q 56 51 Qq 54, 56 52 GPA0003, Local Government Association, Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity, 1 November 2022 18 Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity received written evidence from the District Councils Network, which reported that 70% of councils were considering scaling back their leisure services amid financial pressures.53 In addition to this, the leisure facilities estate is ageing—many types of sporting facilities have an average age of more than 30 years—and are in poor condition. For example, written evidence received from the Lawn Tennis Association told us that 45% of public park tennis courts are categorised as being in poor, very poor or unplayable condition.54