Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 3
Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report
Published 23 Jul 2020
Paragraph 15
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Impact of Covid-19 on DCMS sectors All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The cessation of community sport countrywide during lockdown has hit under- represented groups the hardest. While we welcome the announcement that some recreational sports teams can now resume play, we are concerned about gyms and leisure centres. These facilities act as community hubs, often providing subsidised facilities to those who most need them, but have been the last sport sector to re- open. Following huge levels of uncertainty, it is essential that leisure facilities are protected and have the funds to ensure that the necessary hygiene and social distancing measures can be put in place to re-open fully. The worst outcome would be for local authority funding shortfalls to translate into leisure centre closures; if this were to happen, the Government would risk abrogating its own 2015 Sport Strategy commitment to increase participation in sport by under-represented groups. DCMS’s Sport Working Group must work with local councils to ensure necessary funding is in place to preserve leisure centre facilities. This must be done with urgency so that leisure centres are fully operational in August to provide crucial fitness opportunities for children during the school holidays.
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report (HC 291), paragraph 15, 23 July 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 14 October 2020 (deadline 23 September 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out support already provided across DCMS sectors, agrees with the recommendation for a national domestic tourism campaign, and on several other recommendations says it is considering options, working with the sector, or would need further evidence.
- On tax reliefs for theatre and music, the government says it "keeps all tax reliefs under review" and that HM Treasury "would need to assess" any new relief for effectiveness, cost to the Exchequer, wider economic impacts and ability to stand up to abuse.
- On extending the furlough scheme for the creative industries, it states that "there will be no further extensions or changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme", which closes at the end of October, and points to a new Job Support Scheme from 1 November.
- On museum insolvency, the government says it is "looking at legislative, and non-legislative, options" to prevent the dispersal of collections.
- On a 'Creators Council', it says it "would need a clear steer from the sector" and "robust evidence" of a gap in what the existing Creative Industries Council delivers, if the sector wishes it to consider the proposal.