Govt fails to increase sport participation
By Blaine Williams
Targets to get ethnic minorities involved in sport and culture have been missed, it was revealed today.
Sixteen of the 20 targets, set out in 2004, to increase involvement with sport amongst low participation groups have failed to be met and active involvement in sport has fallen.
The government planned to increase participation in England by three per cent and also get people involved in the arts.
The Liberal Democrats found that none of the eight targets for sport were achieved and participation for people with limiting disabilities fell by 241,000.
The government failed to achieve any targets relating to people with limiting disabilities, with the number participating in the arts dropping by 55,000 and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds reduced by 43,000.
“The government claimed they could provide sports and culture for all, but after a decade of setting targets and then failing to deliver their inclusion agenda is in tatters,” said Liberal Democrat culture spokesman Don Foster.
“Everybody should have the opportunity to get involved in sports and culture but that won’t be achieved by Whitehall diktats.”
It also emerged that the funding body, Sport England, was not recording if money was increasing participation among ethnic minorities. Mr Foster described this as “unforgivable”.
He added “The responsibility does not rest solely with ministers.
“The failure of many of our sporting and cultural bodies to record where they’re using public funds is unforgivable.
“Rather than simply issuing targets we need to think seriously about ring-fencing money to ensure those aspirations can be delivered.”
Black and ethnic minority attendance at arts events, historic environment sites and museums and galleries were achieved; the only other success was in encouraging arts participation among lower socio-economic groups.
