Access to Sports Facilities
Thursday, 15 January 2026
Contributions
Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)Labour
7. What steps she is taking to help increase access to sports facilities.
Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)Conservative
Order. The hon. Lady is testing the Chair by sitting in a part of the Chamber where she does not normally sit.
I thought I would sit where the Chamber looks really packed. [ Laughter. ]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)Labour
The Government understand the importance of high-quality grassroots sports facilities in helping people to be active, which is why we are committing £400 million to improving facilities over the next four years. We are investing £98 million this year through the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme, which includes removing barriers to participation for women and girls, people with disabilities and those from ethnic minority communities.
Durham United football club kicked off this season in the northern league. It is the first time in decades that the city has had a men’s team playing at this level, yet they do not have a permanent ground. At the same time, local authorities are finding it harder and harder to maintain their playing pitch stock to a reasonable standard, meaning that high-quality pitches are harder to access despite more football being played than ever. What can the Minister do to encourage local authorities to transfer these assets into the hands of well-established grassroots clubs, such as Durham United, to give them security and access to larger grants, thereby improving the maintenance of these vital community assets?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important point. Sport England invests over £250 million of Exchequer and lottery funding each year, and offers guidance and support to grassroots clubs looking to take control of their local sports pitches through its community asset transfer toolkit, which it is currently updating. I would be very happy to set up a meeting for my hon. Friend with Sport England, which can offer further advice if that is helpful.
Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)Liberal Democrat
I recently met Abbas and Templecombe parish councillors to discuss their exciting plans to add a 400-metre running track, a multi-use games area and an outdoor adult gym to the local recreation ground. Given that physical inactivity costs the UK over £7 billion a year, such improvements are welcome, particularly in rural areas. However, despite securing some of the funding, the parish council is struggling to find the additional funds it needs to get the project off the ground. What steps is the Minister taking to help rural, parish and town councils improve their sports and leisure facilities?
The hon. Lady is a strong advocate for her constituency, and she makes a very important argument. As I have outlined, the Government are investing £400 million in grassroots facilities. We are also working with the sports sector and local leaders to understand the demands of each community, and I would be happy to discuss that further with her.
I call the shadow Minister.
Mr Louie French (Old Bexley and Sidcup) (Con)Conservative
This Labour Government have announced that they intend to remove Sport England—alongside the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust—as a statutory consultee in planning decisions, putting playing fields across the country at risk. The Conservatives oppose this move. Can the Minister explain how first scrapping the £57 million opening school facilities fund and now allowing developers to concrete over playing fields will increase access to sports facilities?
As I outlined, this Government are putting their money where their mouth is. We have announced £400 million investment in grassroots sport. I have discussed this issue with the Planning Minister and I have heard the points he has made.
Not much of an answer there, but hopefully another U-turn will be coming soon. Over the previous Parliament, the Conservative Government invested more than £1 billion in grassroots and school sports. On this side of the House, we are also absolutely clear that girls’ and women’s sports must be protected to ensure fairness, competition and safety. Will the Sport Minister confirm today what action she is taking to ensure the Supreme Court’s ruling on biological sex is applied in leisure and sports facilities across the UK?
We are working with sporting bodies to make sure they get this right.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5146627.