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The Assistant Minister with responsibility for Sport, confirmed to the Sports Advisory Council (SAC) on Tuesday evening that the Department had found funding that would allow the continuation of grant funding for sports clubs, organisations and competitors travel, at a reduced level beyond 2016.
Historically until 2014, grant funding of £125,000 was made available to the SAC for them to support Islanders competing off-Island. Clubs, organisations and individuals make applications for grants to the SAC, who assess need alongside availability of funding and make recommendations as to the level of support to be made available.
In the run-up to the 2015 NatWest Island Games, the Council of Ministers agreed Growth Funding for 2014 and 2015 of £750,000, which included a component of £200,000 for sports travel grants in order to allow Islanders access to a greater level of international competition, as a means of improving individual performance prior to the Games. The additional £750k funding - from which the additional £200k came – was funded from MTFP 1 contingency and therefore was time- limited.
There is evidence increased funding for sports travel grants was one of several factors that led to the outstanding performance of the Jersey team at last year's Games.
In late 2015, the Assistant Minister successfully secured approval for the level of Growth Funding to be maintained at the same level for 2016, allowing sports grants to the value of £275,000 to be made available this year, however leaving the possibility that all of the Growth Funding might be removed thereafter.
Historically, Growth Funding (at £750k level) was used to deliver the following activities:
- Clubmark & Events
- Community Sport
- Inclusion community
- PE & School Sport Primary Schools
- School Swimming
- Exercise Referral school children
Club/Association development and Quality Assurance Sport in the Community/'Friday Night Football' Making Sport available to disadvantaged parts of the
Specialist PE delivery and training for non-PE teachers in
Swimming teaching to Primary schools
Provision of exercise and lifestyle training to identified primary
- High Performance Sport Grant towards provision of specialist, high performance training
- Travel/Competition Grants Financial assistance helping Islanders to train/compete off- Island
Earlier this year, the Department made a case for Growth Funding to be continued throughout the 2017-19 MTFP 2 Addition period, eventually securing - with the assistance of the Chief Minister and Treasury Minister – COM approval of Funding for a further three year period, at a lower level of £450,000 pa.
In terms of adapting service delivery to funds available in the period 2017-19, priority was given to activities 1-6 in the list above, meaning that funding for High Performance Sport and Travel/Competition Grants would not be available after 2016.
As part of the consultations with the sports sector by the Jersey Sport Shadow Board and following feedback direct to the Department, it became clear that removing travel grants completely would cause considerable hardship for certain sports or individuals and the Assistant Minister requested Officers in EDTSC to try to find a solution that would help restore grant funding to the 2014 levels.
Following a review of the Department's programme spend at the end of August, it became clear that there were underspends in certain areas of operation across the Department, owing to either delays in starting activity or changes in delivery, that were unlikely to be required in 2016. Agreement was reached with Treasury and the Chief Minister that these funds could be carried forward into 2017, specifically for the purpose of providing the sports travel grants.
In answer to the Economic Affairs Scrutiny Panel specific questions the answers are outlined below:
Where the money is coming from?
As outlined above, from underspends on programmes or activities across the Department that are unlikely to be used in 2016
What impact this will have on other priorities?
Minimal as the activities affected have either been delayed in starting or have been deemed lower priority than had been the case at the time the 2016 Business Plan was put together (Summer 2015)
What is the total sum that will now be made available for sports travel grants (bearing in mind that the Panel was told at the last public hearing that there was still £100,000 within the Fit for the Future budget available for this)?
£125,000 for 2017, with Treasury approval for similar amounts in 2018 and 2019, subject to the Department being able to identify underspends within its MTFP2 Addition cash limits of this scale
The answer that I gave to the Panel was misleading because at the time I was not fully briefed on the Jersey Sport Shadow Board proposals in their early draft Report. The £100,000 that I referred to was reduced in 2016 as part of CSR savings and the balance remaining in 2017 I understand, has been recommended by the Shadow Board to be reprioritised for other activities in its final report.
How the funds will be distributed, as the Assistant Minister appears to have suggested that there will be some clubs who can afford to pay their own way and others who may need help?
The Assistant Minister has indicated that the Sports Advisory Council will continue its role in advising on grant allocation throughout 2017, with the probability that the proposed new independent sports organisation, Jersey Sport being requested to take on grant distribution from 2018 onwards.
It is true that there is a disparity between individual sports in terms of their ability to be able to support competitors to travel off-Island in order to compete
Would this involve any element of means-testing, at club or individual level?
As I recall there was also comment at the hearing to the effect that the money could be better targeted, which may be relevant.
There will be no formal element of means testing applied to grant allocation.
The Assistant Minister has requested that the SAC devise a methodology for distributing sports travel grants that is more equitable and fair for allocations in 2017.
It should however be recalled that SAC has historical experience of carrying out such a function at a similar level in 2014, therefore should be in a position to revisit the criteria in place then and decide whether these need amending