Legacy? Sports participation in London drops, 2012 legacy a “mirage”
Olympics Desk
Sports England the body created to ensure that more people participate in sports as a result of the 2012 Olympic Games, has seen a drop in the number of participation among some "key groups" according to a report by the National Audit Office.
With the news that the coalition government is looking at where to cut public spending, this will be a major blow for Sports England and as The Guardian pointed out "raise questions about the organisation's future". Funding for Sports England is guaranteed until next year, when a new set of objectives are likely to be announced.
The National Audit Office report said that an extra 520,000 people took part in sport over the period, monthly participation in "active sport" has actually dropped in all but one of the priority groups and participation by women fell by 1.6%.
"In the North East and London, participation fell across all priority groups, with London showing a fall in women's participation of 9%." The report was especially critical of how the agency's performance was monitored.
"Whilst overall adult participation in sport increased by 520,000 from 2005-06 to 2007-08, the Department did not meet its targets to increase participation in sport and physical activity amongst priority groups. The Department lacked adequate oversight of progress towards its targets and did not require Sport England to report on the outcomes of its activities. Sport England lacked a focus on, and transparency of funding towards, increasing participation amongst the priority groups by the targeted amount. In light of all this, a positive conclusion on value for money is not possible despite the overall increase in participation figures during that period."
The National Audit Office concluded that:
"Linking financial information to performance information is crucial for the Department and for Sport England’s Board in determining the value for money of Sport England’s activities and making strategic decisions.12 Financial and performance information are covered in separate reports for the quarterly meetings, but there would be a stronger basis for assessing cost-effectiveness if cost and performance information were combined and considered together."
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