Ninth Report - Major cultural and sporting events

Select Committee
Culture, Media and Sport Committee HC 259 16 March 2022
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 10 items (6 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 10 of 10 classified)
Accepted 2
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 1
Deferred 1
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 1

Recommendations

6 results
1 Accepted in Part
Para 12
We welcome the Government’s commitment to building on the UK’s strong reputation for delivering major...
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s commitment to building on the UK’s strong reputation for delivering major events but believe more could be done to develop a strategic approach to hosting them, particularly beyond the realm of major sporting events. In an … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the value of a cohesive approach to major events but states that publishing a strategy for major cultural and sporting events is not an immediate priority, although it claims to already be taking steps to improve the strategic framework. A refreshed Gold Framework for Major Sporting Events will be published later this year.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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2 Acknowledged
Para 18
The lack of guaranteed funding for UK City of Culture hosts creates unnecessary uncertainty and...
Recommendation
The lack of guaranteed funding for UK City of Culture hosts creates unnecessary uncertainty and risks undermining other fundraising efforts. The Government should guarantee successful hosts of UK City of Culture an appropriate amount of national funding from the outset, … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states its commitment to working with Bradford, the winner of the 2025 competition, on future funding opportunities and mentions existing investment in previous title holders and initial seed funding. They will factor the Committee’s recommendation into its longer-term, strategic work on the competition.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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3 Deferred
The recommendations and reforms proposed in the fan led review of football governance should not...
Recommendation
The recommendations and reforms proposed in the fan led review of football governance should not be hanging over the Football Association as it goes into a bidding process for the 2028 EUFA EURO. The Government must ensure implementation of the … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government will legislate to establish the independent regulator when parliamentary time allows, meaning the process will run alongside the bidding process for EURO 2028, but legislation as important as that which will be drafted in respect of a new, independent regulator for football cannot be rushed and must be considered with care.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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6 Accepted in Part
Para 51
The listed events regime is vital to the UK’s sporting and media landscape, amplifying major...
Recommendation
The listed events regime is vital to the UK’s sporting and media landscape, amplifying major events and enabling the country to capitalise on its investment in them and their stars. As people’s consumption of media content changes, this crucial tool … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Government recognises the importance of events of national significance being available to as wide an audience as possible and will undertake a review to look at whether the scope of the Listed Events Regime should be extended to include digital rights, but has no current plans to undertake a full review of the list.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7 Accepted in Part
The news media are vital stakeholders for major events, amplifying them at home and abroad...
Recommendation
The news media are vital stakeholders for major events, amplifying them at home and abroad and delivering greater value for money. Moreover, beyond this purely instrumentalist role, there is an intrinsic value to free and reliable reporting of major events. … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that effective media coverage of major events is critical to their success and will ensure that the Gold Framework encourages early engagement with broadcasters and news media outlets when considering potential bids.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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10 Not Addressed
Recent years have seen major events policy formed through little more than ministerial fiat, and...
Recommendation
Recent years have seen major events policy formed through little more than ministerial fiat, and nothing illustrates this better than the vague and shape-shifting nature of Unboxed: Creativity in the UK. There is no one in Government with clear ownership … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government asserts that the 2022 program of events will play a key part in the UK's renewal, reflecting the nation's diversity and unifying elements, with various examples like the Commonwealth Games, UNBOXED, and the Rugby League World Cup. They claim the events are aligned with wider policy objectives.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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4 Conclusion Rejected
Para 36
Since the event’s inception in 2018, the aims for Festival UK* 2022/Unboxed: Creativity in the UK have been vague and ripe for misinterpretation by the press and public at large. We see no evidence to refute such scepticism now. The desire for it to seemingly cater to everyone, everywhere, is …
Government Response Summary
The Government disagrees with the Committee’s assessment of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, claiming it has clear objectives: to bring people together and showcase the UK’s creativity and innovation to the world through a series of groundbreaking creative projects that celebrate the best of UK science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM).
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5 Conclusion Accepted
Para 45
Handled sensitively, major events can be an opportunity for communities to reflect on difficult subjects and grow from them. Organisers and stakeholders, including the media, should not shy away from interrogating potential fault lines, but carefully assess and manage cultural risks accordingly.
Government Response Summary
The Government shares the Committee’s view that major events offer valuable opportunities to foster constructive dialogue on important issues, and can provide a focal point to consider social issues if handled sensitively, referencing the Commonwealth Games Federation's Athlete Advocacy Guiding Principles and the Birmingham 2022 Festival.
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8 Conclusion Accepted
Legacy programmes and independent evaluation are vital for delivering long-term value for money from major events. However, current funding structures and limited evaluation periods give the impression that they are not a priority, as illustrated in the case of the Commonwealth Games. To ensure learnings are taken forward from 2022’s …
Government Response Summary
The Government agrees that legacy work and evaluation activities are critical to securing long-term value from major events, but disagrees with the Committee’s assessment that this is not currently a priority, pointing to significant additional investments have been made into a range of legacy programmes.
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9 Conclusion Not Addressed
Para 81
The Government is spending a lot of money on this year’s major events. Yet while individual occasions may well deliver memorable moments, we see no golden thread linking the events or tying them to a vision for the future of this country. If the UK is to leverage major events …
Government Response Summary
The government asserts that the 2022 program of events will play a key part in the UK's renewal, reflecting the nation's diversity and unifying elements, with various examples like the Commonwealth Games, UNBOXED, and the Rugby League World Cup. They claim the events are aligned with wider policy objectives.
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