SPORT CLIMBS TO THE TOP OF THE TABLE

Strong improvement in the Capital’s sport facilities is recognised by the Audit Commission

The Audit Commission has announced the latest performance assessments of London Boroughs – and sport is a clear winner!

The annual Comprehensive Performance Assessment examines a range of council services and grades them from 1 to 4, with 1 being inadequate and 4 being excellent. Sport is a key component of the Culture service assessment and this year London Boroughs have shown strong improvements. In particular:

•No borough is now graded 1 (inadequate) for Cultural Services

•Three boroughs score the maximum of 4 – an increase on last year

•Six boroughs have improved their score; none have declined

Sport England’s key assessment measure for this year was the percentage of a borough’s population that are within 20 minutes walk of a minimum of three different sports facility types of which at least one has been quality assured. Local authorities have been busy ensuring that their sports facilities meet the demanding standard required to receive quality assured status. There have been some dramatic increases during 2007. For example, in 2006 only 22.9% of people in Enfield were served by three facilities with one that had been quality assured; in 2007 that had leapt to 65.5%. There were similar dramatic improvements in Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Havering, Redbridge and Wandsworth.

The assessment shows that this year 700,000 more Londoners are now within 20 minutes walk time of a quality assured leisure facility, meaning that 58.2% of London’s population have easy access to sport - a higher percentage than any other region in the UK.  The assessment indicates that in 2007 34 leisure facilities across London achieved a quality accreditation for the first time meaning there was an overall increase from 119 to 153.  

However, there are still challenges: 20 out of the 33 London Boroughs only achieve a 2 star (or adequate) rating. This indicates that there is further improvement work needed for our capital’s sporting facilities.

John Brewer, Chair of Sport England London Regional Sports Board, said,” On the whole, the report is good news for sport in the Capital, with a number of boroughs receiving three or four star ratings.

“However, some areas of the Capital have a long way to go before they achieve a four star rating. Sport England London region will continue to work with London boroughs and leisure management contractors to support them in achieving quality marks for their leisure facilities and to help build a lasting legacy for Londoners leading up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.”