§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make further resources available to the Sports Council to enable it to give more widespread and substantial grant aid to local authorities wishing to make off-street provision for children skateboarding.
§ Mr. Denis HowellThe Sports Council has already made considerable efforts to help the orderly development of skateboarding as a sport, including encouraging the formation of a government body700W for the sport—The Skateboard Association—and providing technical assistance and advice on the development and management of skateboarding facilities. On the provision of grants, the Council has already advised local authorities that applications for grant aid for facilities for skateboarding will be considered on the same basis as for other sports. But very often the needs of this sport can be met without great capital cost, by the imaginative use of existing sites.
§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the reduction in many authorities' rate support grants, and of the fact that the extent of the requirement was not apparent when applications for rate support grant were made, if he will now make available further resources to local authorities to enable them to make provision for off-street skateboarding areas.
§ Mr. Denis HowellThe rate support grant is not made for any specific purpose, and it is up to each local authority to use its grant as it sees fit. Off-street skateboarding facilities do not need to be costly. The best use should be made by adaptation of whatever is to hand—e.g., open-air swimming pools, car parks, playgrounds. Regional offices of the Sports Council can advise.