Sarah Hall

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir John. In Warrington South, I have been working closely with grassroots sports clubs like Cromwell Athletic, Crosfields and Bank Quay Bulls, and people like Ste and Bob: volunteers who give their time week in, week out, not for recognition, but because they care about their community and the sports clubs that are a part of it. They are not asking for much—just decent pitches, facilities that are fit for purpose and a fair chance to grow the game for the next generation. They want to take ownership of the very spaces that they rely on, to secure them for the long term, improve them and open up access so that more people of all ages can take part in sport. When communities have ownership of their assets, they invest in them, protect them and make them work. In Warrington, we are now exploring a local sports co-operative, bringing clubs together and giving them confidence, structure and support to take the next step into community ownership. When clubs can take ownership of their pitches, it unlocks crucial external investment from organisations such as the Football Foundation, the Football Association and the Rugby Football League, all of which I have met alongside local clubs. They are ready to back grassroots sport and improve facilities back home in Warrington. That means better pitches, improved facilities, more games being played and more young people being involved and getting active. That is what community ownership makes possible. Right now, too many communities are being held back. In Warrington, the will from clubs and partners is there, but the system is not keeping up. Local authorities simply do not have the capacity or resource to move quickly enough on community asset transfers. Good projects are now at risk of stalling. Momentum and good faith are being lost. Opportunities are in danger of slipping through our fingers. Access to funding remains a barrier, because the ambition is there locally but the tools to deliver it are not always in place. If we are serious about community ownership, we need to match ambition with action. That means targeted funding to help communities to take on and improve local assets, especially in grassroots sport where the social return is so clear. It also means giving local authorities the capacity, resource and streamlined processes that they need to move at pace to support communities, not slow them down. I urge the Minister to work closely with colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to strengthen the role of the co-operative development unit in providing the practical support that communities need to take on assets and to work across Government, including with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to support governance structures that enable community and fan-led ownership to succeed. Community ownership is not just a model. It is a great way of making sure that when places grow, our communities grow with them. If we get this right, we will not only protect and improve the green spaces that matter to our constituents, but empower the clubs and people who make them such a vital part of our towns and villages.