Sport in our communities

Culture, Media and Sport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 16 Oct 2020 Closed: 22 Oct 2021 Parliament page
The Committee is seeking views on sport in our communities. The financial viability of community sports clubs is in doubt, with the future of many at risk even before the pandemic. The DCMS Committee wants to identify specific actions the Government can take to guarantee the future survival of the … Read more
10 Recommendations
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
3 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 10 events
20 Oct
2021
Report published
29 Jul
2021
Report published
13 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
2 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
12 Jan
2021
Oral evidence
1 Dec
2020
Oral evidence
1 Dec
2020
Correspondence
20 Nov
2020
Correspondence
20 Nov
2020
Correspondence
10 Nov
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
13 Apr 2021
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David Pond · GB Wheelchair Rugby Jane Nickerson · Swim England Joanna Coates · UK Athletics Lisa Wainwright · Sport and Recreation Alliance Ollie Dudfield · Sport for Development Coalition
2 Mar 2021
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Louise Morby Mark Lawrie · StreetGames Nahimul Islam Nicola Walker · Sported
12 Jan 2021
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Huw Edwards · UKactive Marg Mayne · Mytime Active Rebecca Passmore · PureGym Rich Emerson · The Climbing Academy
1 Dec 2020
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Dr Claire Jenkin · University of Hertfordshire Dr Esther van Sluijs · MRC Epidemiology Unit & Centre for Diet and Activity Research Dr Larissa Davies · Sheffield Hallam University Dr Rob Wilson · Sheffield Hallam University Kieran Maguire · University of Liverpool
10 Nov 2020
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Greg Clarke · The Football Association Richard Masters · The Premier League Rick Parry · English Football League
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fourth Report - Sport in our communities HC 45 29 Jul 2021 10 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
10 results
1 Recommendation Rejected
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
The impact of successive lockdowns on activity levels was not as bad as initially feared...
The impact of successive lockdowns on activity levels was not as bad as initially feared but the Committee is concerned about the consequences of the final lockdown from December 2020 onwards which has not yet been covered by an Active … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the intent to encourage sports participation but rejects the specific 'Work Out to Help Out' campaign with financial incentives. It instead highlights existing campaigns and facility investments, though the Department for Health and Social Care will launch a pilot in January 2022 to explore broader financial incentives for healthier choices.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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2 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
The proportion of children and young people not achieving the minimum amount of daily activity...
The proportion of children and young people not achieving the minimum amount of daily activity recommended by the Chief Medical Officer is of significant concern. Before the end of this year, the Government should initiate a nation-wide communications campaign, similar … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the importance of encouraging children and young people's physical activity and intends to consider a nation-wide communications campaign as part of its refreshed sport strategy and updated School Sport and Activity Action Plan in the coming months.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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3 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
Year on year, we continue to see persistent gaps in activity levels between different demographics.
Year on year, we continue to see persistent gaps in activity levels between different demographics. This issue has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and certain groups in society continue to be disproportionately impacted. We acknowledge the support provided through … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the intent to tackle participation inequalities, citing substantial existing funding to Sport England and the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). It confirms an additional £20 million investment for TIF in 2021/22, directly addressing the call for further targeted funds.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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4 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
Community and grassroots sport is heavily reliant on a relatively small volunteer workforce who have...
Community and grassroots sport is heavily reliant on a relatively small volunteer workforce who have worked tirelessly through the pandemic to keep their clubs going. This shrinking workforce is one of the biggest challenges facing community sport post-pandemic. Sport England … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the value of encouraging sports volunteering and states it will continue to support Sport England's existing ambitions and strategies, such as 'Uniting the Movement'. It highlights ongoing work including research into innovative volunteering practices and Sport England's involvement in wider consultations, but does not commit to new specific initiatives beyond existing efforts.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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5 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
Many National Governing Bodies and other sports groups and organisations were not financially stable enough...
Many National Governing Bodies and other sports groups and organisations were not financially stable enough to fully support themselves through the economic shock that was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a balance to be found between 30 Sport … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that current funding models for sports organisations should be reviewed to ensure sustainability and will reflect on this in the new sport strategy, considering lessons from Covid-19. It also highlights Sport England's existing strategy to diversify investment approaches and support partners, rather than committing specifically to allowing greater reserves.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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6 Recommendation Acknowledged
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
Even in normal circumstances, volunteers in grassroots and community sport dedicate a significant amount of...
Even in normal circumstances, volunteers in grassroots and community sport dedicate a significant amount of time to applying for funding. Organisations such as Sported and StreetGames play an important role in supporting their members to complete applications but the extensive … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the need for simplified funding access and points to Sport England's strategy, which aims to simplify funding processes. However, it notes this may not lead to complete standardization as recommended, expressing a hope for improvements rather than a firm commitment.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
School facilities have the potential to help solve the facilities crisis currently facing community and...
School facilities have the potential to help solve the facilities crisis currently facing community and grassroots sport. Renting out school facilities at a fair, affordable rate not only benefits the sports groups but also creates an additional revenue stream for … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the need to use school facilities for community sport and outlines existing initiatives, including a £1.5 million programme for 230 schools and a further £10.1 million investment announced in 2021, to help open school sports facilities outside school hours.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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8 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
We welcome the introduction of the Community Ownership Fund but, at a time where many...
We welcome the introduction of the Community Ownership Fund but, at a time where many community groups have faced unprecedented challenges, we are disappointed that the bidding process did not begin in June 2021 as the Government promised it would. … Read more
Government Response
The government commits to working with successful Community Ownership Fund (COF) applicants to implement their bids. It notes the COF can help establish or buy at-risk sports grounds, but explicitly states that 'purchasing and upgrading sport clubs’ own facilities is out of scope'.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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9 Recommendation Rejected
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
The evidence submitted to our inquiry about the performance of National Governing Bodies during the...
The evidence submitted to our inquiry about the performance of National Governing Bodies during the pandemic has been genuinely mixed. Lessons must be learned from the way funding and information was disseminated down to the grassroots during the Covid-19 pandemic. … Read more
Government Response
The government states that Sport England's remit does not extend to regulating National Governing Bodies, rejecting the audit recommendation. It highlights existing efforts by Sport England to enhance communications capability and provide resources, such as the Digital Marketing Hub and Club Matters website.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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10 Recommendation Accepted
Fourth Report - Sport in our commu…
The lack of diversity in the upper echelons of sports governance is striking.
The lack of diversity in the upper echelons of sports governance is striking. We acknowledge the work being undertaken by Sport England and UK Sport to Sport in our communities 31 address the issue, including the recently completed review of … Read more
Government Response
The government details changes to the Code for Sports Governance, requiring publicly funded sports bodies to publish detailed diversity and inclusion action plans for their boards, senior leadership, and wider organisations by summer 2022. UK Sport will also publish its own annual diversity and inclusion action plan and progress report.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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Government Response AI assessment · 10 of 10 classified
Accepted 4
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 1
Deferred 1
Rejected 2
Total 10 recs
Correspondence 3 letters
1 Dec 2020 To committee Letter from Richard Masters, Chief Executive, Premier League, re finalising a financial deal, 24 November 2020
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20 Nov 2020 To committee Letter from the Chair to Richard Masters, Chief Executive, Premier League, re finalising a financial deal, 19 November 2020
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20 Nov 2020 To committee Letter from the Chair to Rick Parry, Chairman, English Football League, re finalising a financial deal, 19 November 2020
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