Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure people that people from all socio-economic backgrounds can participate in community sports.

His Majesty’s Government is committed to ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that sport and physical activity provides, regardless of background. This is a central part of the Levelling Up agenda and will be a major focus of the Government’s upcoming Sport Strategy.

We fund the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arms Length Body, Sport England - which receives over £100 million in Exchequer funding each year. Sport England is responsible for growing and developing grassroots sport and getting more people active across England. Sport England's ten year strategy ‘Uniting the Movement’ reinforces their commitment to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for those from under-represented groups.

Government is also investing nearly £400 million directly into grassroots sports facilities across the country up to 2025.

This includes over £300 million into multi-sport pitches and facilities across the UK to level up facilities by, in particular, targeting those communities most in need and increasing participation among under-represented groups, including women and girls, ethnic minority communities and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. At least 50% of the funding will go to the most deprived areas across the UK.

Through our partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the government is renovating park tennis courts across England, Scotland and Wales. The Government is investing £22 million, with a further £8 million from the LTA. This funding will bring over 3,000 courts up to playable standard by 2025.

At Spring Budget 2023, the Government also announced the £63 million Swimming Pool Support Fund to address the cost pressures facing some public swimming pool providers, and provide investment in energy efficiency measures to make facilities sustainable in the long-term and ensure communities can continue to access the facilities they need.