Memorandum submitted by Manchester City
Council
Manchester City Council welcomes the opportunity
to respond to the above enquiry and makes the following submission:
MCC is totally committed to community sport
and active recreation as a vehicle for delivery of its community
and social regeneration strategies and since the award of the
XVII Commonwealth Games in 1995 has committed ever increasing
resources to community sports development.
In 1996 the City Council agreed its first ever
Sports Policy and Sports Facilities Development Plan. This recognised
that sport can have a significant influence on young people and
has a major role to play in social and community regeneration
strategies.
Partnership working was a key element in this
strategy and today MCC Sports Development has an annual budget
of £1.6 million of which over 56% (£900,000) is levered
in from other public sector partners, sport governing bodies and
the private sector.
Manchester is committed to using sport as an
engine for local achievement, to support the city's economic and
social renewal and to provide qualitative changes in the lives
of local people. Sport, active recreation and the city's public
parks and open spaces are also a powerful weapon in the fight
against obesity and ill-health.
The City's community sport activities are broadly
divided into two
categories:
(1) sports development; and
(2) community leisure and active lifestyle
programmes.
A summary of current activity includes:
Sport Development Programmes
— City wide sport specific development
programmes in 14 sports tailored to the needs of local communities.
Generally delivered in dynamic partnership with national governing
bodies and local sports clubs these local development programmes
offer participation and development opportunities from grass roots
to performance.
— The UK's largest local authority
coach education programme. Over 100 courses per year increase
the number and quality of coaches available to deliver the city's
community sport activities, improve the sustainability of local
sports clubs and enhance individual employment opportunities.
— A £100,000 per year grant aid
programme for local sports clubs through the Manchester Sports
Development Commission. This is available to support agreed development
and capacity building activities eg the creation of junior sections
and competitions, school-club links and new sports initiatives
in schools and to support local talented athletes.
— The development of talent identification
and age-group performance programmes and the creation of City
of Manchester clubs participating at the highest national level
in each of the city's focus sports.
— A comprehensive events programme
from local primary school festivals to major national and international
events. These high profile events not only build on the legacy
of the Commonwealth Games to further enhance Manchester's national
and international image but also provide the opportunity for local
sportspeople to see and be enthused by the very best.
— The facilitation of, and support
for, innovative local partnerships to deliver quality sporting
facilities and opportunities eg Gorton Regional Gymnastics Centre
and Amaechi Basketball Centre.
Community Leisure and Active Lifestyle Programmes
— The Positive Futures Programme: A
city wide social inclusion initiative funded by the Home Office
and targeted at young people 10-19 years of age.
— Let's Tackle Truancy Through Sport:
This uses a pro-active multi-agency partnership approach to deliver
citywide leisure opportunities for individuals who are at risk
of truanting or being excluded from school.
— Passport to Sport: A citywide programme
of sport and physical activity opportunities that encourage children
to engage in regular physical activity outside of school.
— Healthy Walks: A citywide programme
of walks in the city's parks and river valleys.
— Programmes developed with local "Friends
of Park" groups to deliver outdoor sport and active recreation
programmes within a strong neighbourhood framework.
— A rolling programme of capital improvements
to the city's parks and playgrounds including improved access
for the elderly and those with disabilities and the provision
of imaginative educational and play facilities.
— Swim For Life: Delivered in all Manchester's
community pools and targeted at all ages and abilities.
We believe this to be the UK's most comprehensive
and innovative community sports development programme which helps
contribute to the city's economic and social regeneration strategies
and corporate objectives as follows:
Benefiting the economy
— Enhancing the national and international
image of the city.
— Increasing the skills and interests
of its people.
— Developing it's attractiveness for
people to live, work and invest.
Improving health and well being
— Improving the physical, social and
mental health and well-being of citizens particularly in those
communities with the greatest health needs and inequalities.
— Increasing the proportion of residents
taking part in physical activity and exercise, particularly schoolchildren
and the over 55s.
Developing education and skills
— Raising attainment levels and reducing
attainment gaps.
— More young people engaged/re-engaged
with education and/or training.
— Reducing levels of truancy and exclusions
from schools.
Creating stronger and safer communities
— Reducing crime (and the fear of crime)
across the city and in priority neighbourhoods.
— Reducing youth offending and improved
prevention of offending amongst young people at risk.
— A reduction in anti-social behaviour.
Enhancing social inclusion
— Greater engagement with young people
from under-represented groups.
— More young people from specifically
identified groups introduced to, and permanently involved in,
sport and recreation activity.
Enhancing the sporting infrastructure
— Developing and promoting a seamless
network of opportunity for local people to start, stay and succeed
in sport.
Through all these programmes young people are
the primary focus because:
— They are a priority in Government,
City Council and Sport England community strategies.
— The most effective way of encouraging
active lifestyles is to attract and engage people at an early
age.
— As a vehicle to combat crime, improve
health and promote social inclusion sport and physical activity
is most effective when introduced via intervention at an early
age.
— Raising educational standards in
the city's schools is a high priority.
— Affecting lifestyle change to improve
health is acknowledged to be more effective if the fundamentals
of a healthy lifestyle are introduced at an early age.
In summary Manchester City Council is committed
to, and invests heavily in, community sport and our aims are to
build upon Manchester's strong sporting heritage and passion for
sport.
The City Council believes that local authorities
have a major role to play in the provision of sport and active
recreation for local communities. They are in a unique position
to understand local community need and to recognise and facilitate
the potential for beneficial partnership between the public sector,
sport governing bodies and the private and voluntary sector.
We wholeheartedly support the Committee's enquiry
into community sport in the UK and would welcome the opportunity
to provide further evidence to the Committee in due course.
4 April 2005
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