Birmingham Commonwealth Games (Compensation for Enforcement Action) Regulations 2021

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath Excerpts

Wednesday 30th June 2021 Grand Committee

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, I welcome the Minister’s statement and these regulations. Let us hope they do not have to be used, but certainly they are useful as a backstop.

In supporting the regulations, I say again how much I welcome the decision of the Commonwealth Games Federation to select Birmingham as the host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. I applaud the city’s ambitious and innovative vision. The Games will open up a whole host of opportunities, including cultural engagement, business, trade, volunteering, physical activity, jobs, skills, education and tourism. Of course, it is the sports programme that is at the heart of Games, which will feature many thrilling sports, with wheelchair basketball making its first appearance at the Commonwealth Games. For me, the inclusion of women’s cricket is a great joy. It will be the first ever fully integrated parasport competition, with the potential for more medals for women than men—a first for any major multisports event.

I am grateful to the Minister for updating us in a recent letter on the sustainability pledge made by the Games organising committee to deliver the first carbon-neutral Games, and which also covers environmental, social and economic outcomes aligned with the UN sustainable development goals.

Of course, there are challenges, the first of which is finance. The funding of the Games is complex and includes a substantial contribution from commercial revenues. The budget is split, 75% and 25%, between central government and Birmingham City Council and several key partners. Additional commercial revenue will be raised by the organising committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation partnership through ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandising and the sale of broadcast rights. None the less, this is a major challenge, particularly because the finances of Birmingham City Council are themselves under huge pressure. Can the Minister update me on any budgetary issues, including whether there are any financial overruns and the projected commercial income? Can the Minister also confirm that the venues being built or adapted for the Games will all be ready on time?

It is important that the legacy includes a commitment to encourage sport and physical activity among young people. I am particularly interested in what contribution the Games legacy can make to the future health and well-being of people in Birmingham and the West Midlands—we certainly need to. The improvement in life expectancy in Birmingham has levelled off in recent years. It has one of the highest levels of obesity among year 6 pupils in England. Indeed, NHS Digital figures show that more than one in four children who finished primary school in Birmingham in 2017-18 were obese, of whom 6.5% were severely obese. Additionally, 15% of year 6 children were overweight. That means that 41% of Birmingham’s youngsters are unhealthily overweight when they finish primary school, so the opportunity a legacy offers in helping to change this is too good to miss.

Going back to the London Olympics Games, we know that hopes were raised that they would increase sports participation. Jeremy Hunt, then Secretary of State, said that the Games were an extraordinary chance to re-invigorate the country’s sporting habits. Despite an extraordinary Games, the evidence is that there has been virtually no change in participation rates in the 16 to 25 year-old group. I hope that Birmingham can learn and do better. Will the Minister say something about that?