§ Mr. GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the funding programmes for social inclusion for which his Department is responsible that can be accessed by(a) national sports bodies and (b) local clubs and communities. [161009]
§ Ms Beverley HughesThe Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions manages a number of relevant funding streams, which I outline below. However, it should be noted that in all cases individual applications for funding will be judged on their own merits, and there are no DETR programmes which will guarantee support to particular organisations or projects.
The neighbourhood renewal community chests programme (£50 million over three years) will provide small grants to formal and informal local community groups in the 88 most deprived areas of England to support community self-help and mutual support activity. Introductory information has recently been published in the consultation document on funding community groups produced by the active community unit in the Home Office.
The community empowerment fund (£36 million over three years) will support community and voluntary sector involvement in local strategic partnerships (LSPs) in the 88 most deprived areas of England. Introductory information has been published by DETR as an annex to the LSP guidance.
National sports bodies would not be eligible for funding through either of these programmes.
The new deal for communities programme (£1.97 billion over 10 years) makes funding available to support regeneration in some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the country. Projects to invest in local community centres and sporting facilities have featured in many of the partnerships' plans for turning around their neighbourhoods, and partnerships should also engage with all the relevant local organisations, including community groups and sports clubs.
The single regeneration budget (SRB) programme (£5.6 billion covering six rounds) could help the area or local branch of a national sports body the costs of, for instance, setting up a local training facility that would benefit members of the local community. Local clubs and communities could also be eligible for funding through the SRB programme.
The European regional development fund (ERDF)—which is concerned primarily with economic regeneration—could also provide limited funding for local clubs and communities in relevant areas for capacity building projects, provided sports facilities could demonstrate a wider benefit (for instance, boosting local tourism) and therefore be considered good value. Details of local and regional programmes can be obtained from the Government offices for the regions.