The new House of Lords Committee on a National Plan for Sport and
Recreation has today published its call for evidence inviting the
public to provide their views on how we can remove barriers to
participation in sport and recreation and facilitate more active
lifestyles.
The Committee, chaired by , includes former Olympic medallists
and , ,
Vice-Chairman of West Ham United, and other members with
experience and expertise across sport, education and government.
The Committee are keen to hear from individuals and organisations
with an interest in increasing participation in sport and active
recreation.
The Committee will look at a wide range of issues.
These include how we can increase physical activity, including
among young people – one study found that the least fit child in
a class of 30 in 1998 would be among the five fittest children in
a class of 30 tested today. The Committee will also consider how
we can increase participation in sport among underrepresented
groups including women and girls, disabled people, people from
ethnic minority communities and low income groups, and whether
current funding structures are effective in getting money to
where it has most impact.
The Committee are inviting written evidence
to be submitted by Friday 29 January 2021. The full call for
evidence and details of how to submit evidence can be found on
the Committee’s
webpage
, Chair of the Committee,
said:
“In 2015 the Government launched its Sporting
Future strategy which followed significant investment in
sport after the introduction of lottery funding and the 2012
Olympics. However, we have also seen stagnant physical activity
rates and changes in the way people keep active. The time has
come to ask whether the Government have the right priorities for
sport and recreation.
“Our inquiry will only be as strong as the evidence
we get and I would encourage anyone with an interest in these
issues to give us their views. We would love to hear from people
delivering sports and recreation at the grassroots to understand
what help they need to get more people active.”
Notes to Editors
-
Full details on the Committee and its inquiry,
including a list of
members can be found on its website
-
The study that found that the least fit child in a
class of 30 in 1998 would be among the five fittest children in
a class of 30 tested today was undertaken at the University of
Essex in 2018. Further details are available on the University of Essex
website.
