The Government has made several announcements
about funding today, some of which affect sport and the activities
of Sport England’s partners. The Department for Culture, Media and
Sport (DCMS) has announced that funding for free swims under the
free swimming programme will end this summer.
The Department of Health has announced that
its funding to County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) will be cut. This
does not affect Sport England’s core investment in CSPs.
Please find below the full DCMS press
release.
Savings of around £73 million have
been made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as part
of the department’s further contribution to reducing the fiscal
deficit.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics,
Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, and his ministerial team have
examined recent spending decisions, pilot schemes and other
commitments, and decided that a number of projects should not now
go ahead.
Projects for which funding is being cancelled
include free swimming for those aged 16 and under and over 60, the
planned Stonehenge Visitor Centre and the British Film Institute
(BFI) Film Centre. The Government is still funding the
building of a new film store to safeguard the National Film Archive
and, although the BFI’s digital access project is not affordable at
the present time, is looking for the BFI to examine alternative
methods of support and delivery.
Mr Hunt said:
“We are facing an unprecedented financial
situation in this country, and it is essential that we act now to
reduce the country’s debt. As part of my department’s
contribution, we have examined a number of schemes to determine
whether they remain a Government priority, value for money, and
affordable in the current economic climate. This has involved
some incredibly difficult decisions, but the cultural and sporting
worlds, like everyone else, urgently need the country’s finances to
be returned to a sustainable position.”
Commenting on the cancellation of funding for
the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Tourism and Heritage Minister John
Penrose said:
"I recognise the disappointment that everyone
in the heritage community feels at today’s announcement. But I hope
that they, and others, will understand why this has come about -
the costs and benefits of this project had to be considered in the
light of the current financial picture. We all have to accept
trade-offs, but even though we can’t afford to fund the project
today, it remains a priority for the future.”
Commenting on the cancellation of funding for
the BFI Film Centre, Creative Industries Minister Ed Vaizey
said:
“It is obviously disappointing that the severe
financial problems facing Britain mean that the Government can’t
contribute at present to the BFI Film Centre. Although we are
unable to commit to some large scale capital investment projects
while tackling this unprecedented deficit, I am planning to
fundamentally reassess how the Government supports film in this
country. I want to make sure that we are supporting the film
industry so that it is ready for the challenges it will face in the
decade to come, and that we make sure every pound of public money
we spend gives the maximum benefit.”
Funding for free swims under the free swimming
programme will end this summer, in the light of new research which
shows that the scheme has not delivered value for money. Figures
published today show that the majority of those participating in
the scheme would have gone swimming anyway, even if they had to
pay, and that the scheme has not significantly increased physical
activity.
Commenting on the decision, Sport and Olympics
Minister Hugh Robertson said:
“This is not a decision that gives me any
pleasure. However, the research shows that the great majority of
free swimmers were swimming already, and would have paid to swim
anyway. With a crippling deficit to tackle and tough decisions to
take, this has become a luxury we can no longer afford.
“Delivering a legacy from 2012 is one of my
top priorities. I want people of all ages and abilities to have
opportunities to take part in all kinds of sport, and under our
plans to reform the Lottery shares we should see an extra £50
million a year going on sports facilities by 2012. Our plans to
deliver a community sports legacy, in partnership with Sport
England, are progressing well and we expect to make a full
announcement in July.”
A number of other schemes have also been
cancelled, including some aspects of the libraries modernisation
programme and the ‘Find Your Talent’ pilot. The ‘A Night Less
Ordinary’ scheme has been curtailed.
Notes to Editors
Savings:
DCMS projects being cancelled and the amount
they will save are:
- Libraries modernisation work - £2 million
(per annum)
- Find Your Talent – c £2 million
- A Night Less Ordinary – c £0.1m
- BFI Film Centre - £45 million
- BFI archive digital access sub-project - £2.5
million
- Stonehenge visitor centre - £17 million
- Free swimming - £5 million (as part of a
total saving of £40 million from the Free
- Swimming Programme funding across
Government)
Free Swimming:
The cross-Government scheme, which was
launched in April 2009, is jointly funded by the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport, the Department of Health, the Department
for Education, the Department for Work and Pensions and the
Department for Communities and Local Government. It was initially
due to run for two years to March 2011. However, in light of
research published today which shows the scheme has not
delivered value for money and the commitment to cut the budget
deficit, the Government has taken the decision to withdraw the
majority of the remaining exchequer funding due to be distributed
in this financial year.
The research found that although 18 million
free swims were taken during the first year of the scheme, around
83 per cent of those aged 60 and over and 73 per cent of those aged
16 and under would have gone swimming anyway, even if they had to
pay for it.
Value for money analysis also showed that the
cost of the scheme outweighs the health benefits.
The research
can be found at the DCMS website.
Of the £140 million set aside for the free
swimming scheme, £75 million was distributed in 2008/9 and 2009/10.
Of the remaining £65 million, £40 million will be withdrawn, minus
the cost of running the scheme from 1 April to 31 July, when it
will formally end.
The Government is still considering the future
of the £25 million set aside for improving swimming pools.
Stonehenge:
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in
Wiltshire, believed to be around 5,000 years old, and comprised of
earth works surrounding circles of standing stones. A
world-famous site it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
in 1986. Since that designation, English Heritage and
successive Government ministers have pledged to improve the
standards of presentation and facilities there by taking the roads
out of the landscape. It was branded a “national disgrace” by
the Public Accounts Committee in 1993.
An earlier plan – to create a 2.1km bored
tunnel to take the A303 under the site (costing around £500
million) was abandoned in 2007. The most recent Stonehenge
Project aimed to improve the Stonehenge World Heritage Site by
creating new, environmentally sustainable visitor facilities at
Airman’s Corner in Wiltshire, a low emission transit system between
the visitor centre and the Stonehenge monument, and the closure of
the A344 in time for the 2012 Olympics.
The total cost of this capital project was
£27.5 million. This was £25 million of public funds (£10 million
from DCMS, £9 million from English Heritage, £5 million from HLF (
Round 1 application submitted in August 2009, Round 2 application
to be submitted in July 2010) and £1 million from SWRDA) and £2.5
million private sector fundraising campaign (Garfield Weston have
pledged £1 million). The cost of works to Longbarrow Crossroads and
the A303 (circa £4m) are additional and were to be met by the
Highways Agency]. Expenditure on the project to date (from 2008) is
£3,301,160.
Film:
Ed Vaizey will undertake a wide-ranging
reassessment of Government support for film. Details will be
announced shortly. This reassessment will take account of the
impact of Government financial support for film, including National
Lottery funding, as well as the impact of film tax relief, but
neither will be reviewed as part of this reassessment.
The BFI Film Centre is planned to showcase the
best of British and world cinema, as well as creating a new space
for exhibitions, cultural events, research and study.# The total
cost has been estimated to be £166 million.
The Screen Heritage UK programme comprises
three strands. The Government has decided to fully fund work to
secure the national collection (approximately £16.2 million) as
this is business critical. Work to revitalise the regional archive
collection (approximately £3.7 million) will also go ahead. A
programme to deliver digital access will not go ahead, bringing
about a saving of approximately £2.5 million. Spend to date on
delivering digital access is approximately £1.3 million.
Libraries:
The Government has decided not to pursue the
£2 million (per annum) spending commitments set out in the Public
Library Modernisation Review Policy statement published in March
2010. These were free internet access in all libraries and to
promote library membership as an entitlement from birth. It also
included extending the Public Lending Right to non-print format
books, estimated at £300,000 – this has been suspended and will be
considered as part of spending review in the Autumn.