The House of Lords Committee on a National Plan for Sport
and Recreation today publishes 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 deadline for submissions is 4pm on Friday 29
January
The inquiry
The Committee will look at a wide range of
issues including:
- how we can increase physical activity, including among young
people
- 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.
Committee Chair
, Chair of the
Committee, said:
“In 2015 the Government launched its Sporting
Future strategy which followed a long period where we
saw 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 helping more people to
live active lifestyles.
“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.”
Questions
The Committee’s call for evidence asks the following questions:
- How can local delivery, including funding structures, of
sport and recreation be improved to ensure that people of all
ages and abilities are able to lead an active lifestyle? For
example, how successfully do local authorities and other bodies
such as Active Partnerships, Leisure Trusts, local sports clubs
and charities work together, and how might coordination be
improved?
- How can children and young people be encouraged to
participate in sport and recreation both at school and outside
school, and lead an active lifestyle? If possible, share
examples of success stories and good practice, and challenges
faced.
- How can adults of all ages and backgrounds, particularly
those from under-represented groups, including women and girls,
ethnic minorities, disabled people, older people, and those from
less affluent backgrounds, be encouraged to lead more active
lifestyles? If possible, share examples of success stories and
good practice, and challenges faced.
- Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation, the
Government’s 2015 sports strategy, outlines five outcome
priorities: physical health, mental health, individual
development, social and community development and economic
development. Are these the right priorities and how successful
has the government been in measuring and delivering these
outcomes to date?
- Is government capturing an accurate picture of how people
participate in sport and recreation activities in its data
collection? How could this be improved?
- How can racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny and ableism
in sport be tackled?
- What can be done to improve and implement effective duty of
care and safeguarding standards for sports and recreation actives
at all levels?
- What are the opportunities and challenges facing elite sports
in the UK and what can be done to make national sports governing
bodies more accountable? For example, accountability for
representing and protecting their membership, promoting their
sport and maximising participation.
- What successful policy interventions have other countries
used to encourage people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities
to participate in sport and recreation, and lead more active
lifestyles?
- Should there be a national plan for sport and recreation?
Why/why not?
