Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
The Department has not yet set out how it will determine whether its efforts to...
Recommendation
The Department has not yet set out how it will determine whether its efforts to tackle persistent inactivity levels are a success. The cost-of-living crisis risks further 6 Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity reductions in activity as households look to cut back on discretionary spending. But this challenge is not reflected in the pace of the Department and Sport England’s new strategic approaches. Sport England had targets for increasing activity levels among some, but not all, groups identified as priorities in its 2016–2021 strategy. It asserts that it is not in a position to set out the key performance measures to monitor progress against its new 2021 strategy until government has published its new strategy for sports participation. Yet the Department is unable to say when its new strategy will be published. The new strategy is intended to tackle persistent inactivity, with an emphasis on improving data monitoring and tailoring approaches to local needs. The Department could not articulate what practical measures its strategy would include, the specific outcomes it is aiming to achieve nor how it will deliver increased activity levels where previous strategies have failed. Recommendation 3: In its new strategy, the Department should set out the specific outcomes it is aiming to achieve with inactive groups, what targets it is working towards, and how it will measure progress.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and will set out the specific outcomes it is aiming to achieve with inactive groups, what targets it is working towards, and how it will measure progress in the new Sport Strategy.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. shortly in the new Sport Strategy. The government's new Sport Strategy will build on the success of the previous government strategy 'Sporting Future’ and have a clear focus on addressing inactivity levels and the barriers that prevent people from participating in sport. At the heart of the strategy is the ambition for more people to have access to facilities and participate in sport and physical activity, no matter their location or background. As part of the development of the strategy, DCMS will work alongside Sport England to establish a new measurement framework ensuring that it remains consistent with that of Uniting the Movement. DCMS will do this by monitoring how money is being spent and the core key performance metrics as set out through Uniting the Movement and ensuring the government have the data to show how it is having an impact at a local level. This framework will allow us to clearly measure progress against the targets which will define success of the strategy. The government believes that there is no single policy solution to delivering significant change to population wide activity levels and that collaboration and a shared ambition across various sector partners and government will be required for real, sustained impact to be achieved.