Grassroots Sport: Children
Mr (Delyn) (Ind)
2. What steps she is taking to encourage more children into
grassroots sport. (905421)
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport ()
Every child and young person should have access to quality sport
and physical activity opportunities no matter where they live. We
want to ensure that all people get two hours of physical
education at school—equal opportunities for boys and girls. We
are providing £600 million to boost school sport. Further details
of our plan will be set out in our sports strategy.
Mr Roberts
Thirty-odd years ago, in weather like this, my friends and I
would spend eight hours a day every day of the school holidays,
and every evening during term time, up at the cricket nets. Now,
they are mostly unused, except on practice nights. My old hockey
club, Northop Hall, used to run seven teams on a Saturday, but
now it just about manages to scrape three together. I commend the
work that James, Matt, Emily, Chris and others do in coaching the
next generation of youngsters. What more can the Government do to
encourage participation, remove barriers to entry and get more
kids out from in front of the screen and into team sports, which
bring amazing benefits to mental and physical health?
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: all children should have
the chance to play sport and experience the benefits of being
physically active. He is right to talk about facilities, which
are important. We have supported more than 80 sites in Wales
since 2021. Getting children more active in those facilities will
be a central part of our upcoming sports strategy, in which we
will set out our ambition to embed physical activity in every
child’s life by driving up standards and making sport more
accessible and more inclusive.
(Eltham) (Lab)
About 47% of parents say that the cost of living crisis is making
it difficult for their children to participate in sport. The
levels of participation among the poorest social groups is down
on six years ago. What will the Secretary of State do in her plan
to drive up participation in sport in those communities?
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to highlight the
importance of sport. A significant proportion of the £300 million
that is going into sports facilities across the country will go
to disadvantaged areas. As I mentioned, we are bringing forward a
sports strategy that will set out how we ensure that everybody
around the country can take part in sport and that it is
inclusive for everybody.
Mr Speaker
Obviously, if we beat the Australians in the tests, that would be
even better for young people. Let us go to , a big cricketer.
Swimming Pools, Leisure Centres and Sports Grounds
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
6. Whether her Department is taking steps to support the
sustainability of local (a) swimming pools, (b) leisure centres
and (c) sports grounds. (905425)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and
Sport ()
Local authorities are responsible for providing access to public
leisure centres and sports grounds, but the Government continue
to encourage them to invest in those really important community
spaces. That is why we are delivering £60 million through the
swimming pool support fund to address the cost pressures facing
many public swimming pools and to invest in energy efficiency
measures to reduce their future operating costs.
Elswick swimming pool is a wonderful enabler of physical and
mental health, serving communities who have some of the highest
levels of deprivation and health inequalities in the country. It
could do more if social prescribing were enabled, but instead, it
faces an absolute crisis because of rising energy costs and the
cost of living crisis hitting income. The Minister says that
money is available, but it has received none. Can he tell me what
he is doing to ensure that Elswick swimming pool survives and
thrives?
The hon. Lady is absolutely right to highlight the importance of
the work of many swimming pools and leisure centres up and down
the country. It is precisely because of the messages I heard from
them that we were successful in getting that £60 million in the
Budget. £20 million of that will help with initial costs, and the
other £40 million will help to make those swimming pools and
leisure centres more resilient in the future. The criteria will
be released very shortly so that the hon. Lady’s particular pool
can apply for that money at that time.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Manchester, Withington)
(Lab)
It has now been three months since the £60 million swimming pool
support fund was announced, and still nobody has received any
money. As the Minister has said, £23 million is revenue funding,
which according to the Local Government Association works out at
only £25,000 per pool, and that will not arrive until September.
The rest is capital, which will be allocated by a yet to be
determined bidding process and will not happen until December.
Why is it taking so long to get even this level of support out
when our swimming pools are at risk of closure?
We have been working incredibly hard on this, making sure that
the money goes to the right places, because the evidence shows
that this is not a blanket problem all over the country. There
are specific issues that need addressing. It is right that we use
the money wisely. It is right that we target those that need it,
and I make no apology for making sure that we get the system
right.
