Agenda item

To receive a presentation and briefing note of the Executive Director of Place providing an update on progress in implementing the Strategy.

The Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) received a presentation and briefing note of the Executive Director of Place that provided details of the progress made on the Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024 since approval of the Strategy by Cabinet in August 2014 (their minute 40/14 referred) and Council in September 2014 (their minute 58/14 referred).  In line with Strategy recommendations regarding future public leisure provision, Council further approved investment of £36.7m in a city centre destination sports and leisure facility (their minute 59/14 referred).

The mission of the Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024 was ‘To develop a more active, inclusive and vibrant Coventry through positive experiences in sport’. It was structured around eight Vision Aims and 37 Strategic Objectives and included objectives concerned with increasing and widening participation in sport; increasing the number of people receiving sports coaching; increasing the number of people volunteering in sport; establishing and embedding early specialist support services for talented athletes; developing City Centre sports facilities that are accessible, high quality, sustainable and of significance to the Midlands; attracting high profile sporting events to the City; establishing a Coventry Sports Network; and harnessing the power of sport to promote community cohesion and address public health inequalities in the City. The Strategy was influenced and supported by the Coventry Playing Pitch Strategy 2014-2024, the Coventry Indoor Facilities Strategy 2014-2024 and the Coventry Aquatics Strategy 2014-2024. 

The Board received Key Strategy updates where there had been the largest focus of activity in the first 16 months of the implementation, these were:

·  Vision Aim 1 - To inspire more people in the city to take up and regularly take part in sport: #Ucan project; In It Together; Coventry Public Leisure Participation Data

·  Vision Aim 2 - To provide a wide range of high quality and exciting sporting opportunities and experiences: National Governing Body Planning; The ‘Engage!’ Project; Rugby League Decommissioned Sport England Funding

·  Vision Aim 3 - To inspire more people to volunteer, coach and be facilitators of sport: EnV

·  Vision Aim 4 - To identify and support talented athletes to reach their sporting potential: Support to Succeed

·  Vision Aim 5 - To provide a range of modern, accessible and high quality sports facilities in the city: Centre AT7; Destination Water Park; Bowls; President Kennedy School; Badminton England, England Squash and Racketball and the Sport England Inspired Facilities Fund

·  Vision Aim 6 - To attract high profile sporting events to the city and to celebrate sporting achievement: Ricoh Arena; Rugby World Cup 2015; Ice Hockey; Sports Week

·  Vision Aim 7 – To grow and promote sport in the city through effective partnerships: Coventry Sports Network;   External Funding; Coventry Sport Network – Year 2 Priorities; Public Health

·  Vision Aim 8 – For sport to make Coventry a better place to live, work and visit: Coventry Sports Strategy’s Contribution to the City; Sport England Active People Survey Results

The Board questioned officers and discussed the following issues:

·  Public Health and Sport link – health service benefits

·  Volunteers – their value in supporting/initiating sporting events, further volunteer recruitment and future coaching possibilities

·  School Academy Conversions – loss of some sports facilities for communities and price increases for hiring facilities

·  Tennis – provision of facilities to enable continuation of participation in the sport once specific Programmes have ended, particularly in the North East of the City

·  Sports linked to the Strategy – resource limitations

·  Charitable organisation support to sports clubs

·  Exploring planning section 106 agreements for resources to support sports provision/facilities

·  Encouraging schools to offer their sports facilities for community use/hire – benefit of undertaking an audit of the current provision and use

·  Participation in sports on school sites for children with parents on low incomes

RESOLVED that the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3):

1)  Acknowledges the progress on implementing the partnership Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024 since its approval by Cabinet in August 2014 and endorsement by Council in September 2014.

2)  Endorses proposals concerning the next set of priorities for the Coventry Sport Network.

3)  Requests that the following recommendation be forwarded to the  Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Sport and Parks:

•  The support that can be given to assist children with parents on low incomes to participate in sports on school sites be explored.

•  An audit be undertaken of community use of schools sports facilities.