Purdah

As a Non-Departmental Public Body in receipt of public and lottery funding, Sport England, and the bodies that we fund, will be subject to purdah restrictions. Sport England will be issuing guidelines to all funded partners and those in receipt of a grant in the next few days.

Although not yet confirmed, it is widely expected that the Prime Minister will call a general election at some point over the next week. Following this announcement, parliament will return from Easter Recess for a period known as ’wash up’. This is when the Government tries to pass any remaining legislation that they consider to be a priority. Following this, Parliament will officially be dissolved and we will enter into purdah.

The basic principle of purdah is that during an election, there should be a level playing field for the political parties. Therefore the resources of government should not be used to support campaigning or to make any new announcements of policy or spending. As a result Sport England and the bodies which we fund will be forbidden from making any announcements related to Sport England funding. The simple principle is to avoid any activity that might distract attention from the general election.

If you have any questions about how purdah may affect your organisation, please contact alice.cookson@sportengland.org