31st October 2024: London, UK – Yesterday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, delivered her first Autumn Budget to the House of Commons, which gave an overview of the economy and set out the Government’s proposals for changes to taxation, welfare and public service spending.
As an Active Partnership and as part of the National Sector Partners Group (NSPG), London Sport has been advocating for the Government to help break down barriers in our communities and ensure that people have the opportunities to be physically active every day.
Whilst we were pleased to see the announcement of funding to support breakfast clubs (Education, 2.74) and support for grassroots sport to invest in multi-use facilities (DCMS, 4.102), the sector will eagerly await any specific news on how the Government intends to offer support to boost participation and access to sport and physical activity, improve infrastructure, and address the large health inequalities we are seeing in our communities.
Sport and physical activity will be important levers for the Government to pull, particularly as it looks to save money where it can in the public purse. This is demonstrated by Sport England’s recently updated Social value of sport and physical activity research, which shows that it generates £107.2 billion annually in social value – with £96.7bn being attributed to the primary value in annual wellbeing value, and a further £10.5bn in wider savings to the health and social care system.
A recent priority for London Sport has been to advocate for the extension of funding for successful and impactful programmes currently delivering physical activity, including the Opening School Facilities (OSF) Fund, which allows community access to the 71% of sports halls, 60% of artificial pitches and 33% of swimming pools in England that currently sit behind school gates. This funding is due to run out at the end of March 2025. There was no specific mention of the OSF Fund included within the budget, but we strongly urge the Government to review the policy and to consult with the sector ahead of the next fiscal event: the Spring Budget 2025.
David Tinnion, Chief Operating Officer at London Sport said:
“We welcome a number of announcements included in the Chancellor’s budget, particularly those that help address inequalities for children and young people. We are encouraged by the Government’s continued focus on preventative healthcare, as well as its focus on building community resilience and wellbeing.
Sport and physical activity will play an important role for the Government in delivering its five missions. London Sport, and the wider grassroots sport and physical activity sector, will look to engage with the Government ahead of the next fiscal event to demonstrate this, and to set out what additional support is needed. For example, we strongly urge the Government to extend the Opening Schools Facilities Fund, which has been a tremendously impactful, and relatively low-cost initiative, that has helped to unlock existing spaces within our communities and continues to help children and young people live more active lives”.
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About London Sport
London Sport is a charity helping all Londoners live longer, healthier, and happier lives through being active, with a focus on children and adults in the most deprived communities who face the greatest challenges of inequality. It tackles disparities between access and opportunity in physical activity and sport, as a solution to wider societal inequalities.
It is supported by Sport England and the Mayor of London, and collaborates with London’s local authorities and other organisations, to remove barriers and provide fairer access to sport and physical activity across the capital. Its work specifically addresses underlying inequalities in sporting provision, particularly for those in underserved communities who face the greatest challenges to leading an active life.
For more information on London Sport, visit www.londonsport.org.
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