© CCPR 2005
In the UK the Government does not control sport - nor does it wish to do so - but its aim is to assist with strategies, guidelines and funding which will help with the development of sport and physical recreation and give support to appropriate national governing and representative bodies of sport.
Traditionally sport in the UK has been free of political control at national and local authority level, although Government does sometimes express views on international matters. The overall responsibility for sport at the UK level rests with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (who also has an additional responsibility for museums, BBC, libraries, heritage, Royal estates, etc) having a sports budget of approximately £66.8 million, (except for Lottery funding) in 2002. Each of the Home Country government devolved administrations has responsibility for setting their own policies and ensuring that they develop in line with what is wanted in each of these parts of the United Kingdom, with each deciding their own levels of funding for sport. In order to implement these policies, the government previously set up Home Country Sports Councils and, more recently, a UK Sports Council - UK Sport.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have each produced sports strategies, and the Culture, Media and Sport Department of the UK government's 'A Sporting Future for All' outlines a strategy for England.
The generally well received English strategy was followed with Implementation Groups - during the period when Kate Hoey was Minister of Sport - to consider how best to meet the needs of sports development, which includes sport in schools and links with local clubs and also the needs of the community and elite levels - able-bodied, disabled and disadvantaged men and women leading to the Government Plan for Sport. Part of the problem is meeting the diverse needs of the two varying groups of the inner cities and the rural areas. Sports - and other - deprivation is sometimes less easy to recognise and help in rural areas, not least of which is the transport problem.
There is now a 'Game Plan' published by the Strategy Unit, which is the basis of the Government policy for sports and recreation which recognises that the Government is heavily dependant upon the four main delivery sectors - the education, commercial/private, local authorities and voluntary sectors. However, 'Game Plan' does not fully recognise the need to promote and support the development of a sustainable infrastructure for each of these sectors, and for co-ordination of their efforts if they are to be capable of containing and enhancing their delivery.
Each UK Home Country has a Minister for Sport, but none of these Ministers holds a senior position in their respective administrations, although they do come together as a UK Cabinet of Sport so as to identify UK strategic priorities with powers to implement. The Sports Cabinet is under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport in the four countries of the United Kingdom. The Group's remit is to give joint political direction to sporting issues and to provide the opportunity for a collective political discussion of the most strategic priorities for UK sport. The chairs of the five Sports Councils may be invited to attend meetings, as may many others, at the discretion of the Cabinet. All Home Country ministers are equal and the chairman does not have a casting vote.
The UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport's Minister for Sport has a remit which includes all matters dealing with sport in England, and in supporting the Secretary of State on UK issues such as the National Lottery and social inclusion, and leads in UK dealings with other countries in international fora, such as the European Unions and Council of Europe.
The Labour Prime Minister and the Secretary of State DCMS agreed the previous Conservative government vision for a United Kingdom Sports Institute (UKSI) which was to provide all our top sports men and women with the best facilities and support services they need to compete at the highest level.
The English Institute of Sport forms part of the United Kingdom Sports Institute, together with the Scottish Institute of Sport, Welsh Institute of Sport and UKSI Northern Ireland. The Institutes' services are directed nationally (UK) and delivered locally, making the best use of resources throughout the UK. The work of the UKSI - as with all sports administration in the UK - will be influenced by the varying levels of impact by many government departments. The size and scale of the scheme means it should attract some of the world's best sports scientists and medics, and international coaches from other countries.
A difficulty in presenting a fully effective government approach arises from the fact that - for example in England - schools and education are the responsibility of the Department for Education & Skills (DfES), but efforts are being made for DfES and the Department of Culture, Media & Sport to improve and extend cooperation. There is also a closer liaison with the Department of Transport, Local Government & the Regions (and other departments) who make a valuable contribution to local sport through local authorities and their recreation departments and for facility and other planning. However, the government set-up, following the DCMS Sports Strategy A Sporting Future for All, an Implementation Group to co-ordinate and drive forward the work programme and have convened a government cross-department forum to monitor progress on policies which affect sport. As a result of the Implementation Group proposal - these can be found at www.culture.gov.uk - the Government presented the 'Government's Plan for Sport', which is being monitored and evaluated as part of the policy process. DCMS will review progress against the plan each year, with representatives of the original Implementation Group.
The Sports Councils are Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), and for Wales an Assembly-sponsored body (ASPB), often referred to as Quangos (quasi non-governmental organisations) which are semi-public bodies with financial support from, and senior appointments made by, government, and with a Royal Charter and executive powers.
The Sports Councils are, at UK national and Home Country level, the major agencies for providing a co-ordinated leadership for the funding and for many aspects of sports development and strategies for sport and physical recreation. The chairman of each of the four Home Country Sports Councils is a member of UK Sport.
Sport and physical recreation in the UK is co-ordinated by over 400 mainly voluntary bodies - over 250 of which are in membership of the CCPR. Many of these bodies are UK (British), although each Home Country usually has its own national governing or representative body for each sport as part of this UK structure.
There are some Home Country governing bodies of sport which are not in membership of a UK (British) organisation - e.g. rugby union, football, cricket, and in the case of Northern Ireland about 35 activities cover the whole island of Ireland.
These sports bodies are independent and mostly voluntary, and - with their clubs - make the major contribution to UK opportunities for participation, competition and training at grass roots, and progressively upwards to international level for organised sport.
NATIONAL STATISTICS According to the 1998 General Household Survey, 46% of adults do not regularly take part in sport and recreation, including walking over two miles. Increased sporting participation would:
The CCPR's Major Spectator Division policy statement included:
"Sport has a major role to play in reducing crime, improving health as well as helping the Government's literacy and numeracy campaigns".
Department for Education & Skills research also suggests that school sport and physical education assists pupils with literacy and numeracy.
The Sport and Recreation Division (SARD), located within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with a recently-appointed Director of Sport, is responsible for providing support to the Secretary of State and the Minister of Sport in the implementation of their policies for the development and promotion of sport in England. A particular focus of the Division's work is the implementation of the 'Government's Plan for Sport' which was published in March 2001. The Plan sets out how sport in education and in the community and success at World Class sport can contribute to the social and cultural well being of the country and the Government's commitment to creating the right conditions for national sporting success. Within this overall context the Division has a number of specific objectives including:
In order to achieve these objectives the Division works closely with other government departments, including DFES, DTLR and DOH, the Sports Councils and a range of other sports organisations.
The Division is also responsible for the stewardship of three non-departmental public bodies (NDPB), i.e. Sport England, UK Sport and the Football Licensing Authority. This involves the monitoring of the regularity and propriety of their expenditure of around £50 million in grant-in-aid and over £200 million of Lottery funding, and ensuring that they are aware of the rules that apply to them and to all NDPBs, and abide by those rules. The Division has close working relationships with its NDPBs on a range of issues and each has funding agreements which set out clear performance indicators and targets which the Department expects them to achieve in return for its grant-in-aid.
The success of the Civil Service back-up on behalf of a Minister can depend, to some extent, on the degree to which they avoid overlap or even duplication with some of the roles of other agencies such as UK Sport and Home Country Sports Councils.
BRITISH CONFEDERATION OF SPORT (BCS)
The many UK independent voluntary sports and appropriate interested organisations come together within five independent co-ordinating bodies, and these form the British Confederation of Sport (BCS). The BCS works with UK Sport.
The member organisations of BCS are:
CCPR acknowledges the work of Ken Gill in preparing this information and Mel Welch for editing and completing the text.
Thanks
are extended to the individuals, voluntary and statutory organisations - especially
the Sports Councils - who provided information.