§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the(a) priorities and (b) budget for the Lambeth and Southwark sports action zone are for 2001.[149511]
§ Kate HoeyThe key priority is to produce a detailed needs assessment for the zone. The zone manager, who was appointed in September 2000, has been working with key agencies and organizations—e.g. health and education action zones, local authorities and the police—as well as the local community to produce the assessment which will inform a five-year action plan. Key themes will be the 705W contribution which sport can make to health, education and lifelong learning, social inclusion, regeneration and community safety.
The budget for the zone is £ 70,000 a year for five years, which is paying for the zone manager, administrative support and a small operational budget for the needs assessment. Future funding for the zone will be assessed against the provisions of the action plan, although in the meantime projects within the zone will remain eligible for consideration for funding from schemes such as capital awards, awards for all, the active communities development fund and the school sports co-ordinator programme. An award of £ 291,732 has been made under the school sports co-ordinators programme for the Lambeth and Southwark action zone.