§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many, and which, (a) district councils; (b) county councils; and (c) unitary councils have in place playing pitch strategies. [HL332]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe number of district, county and unitary councils with playing pitch strategies in place is increasing. While no definitive list exists, a number of measures have recently been introduced that should ensure that the number of councils adopting effective playing pitch strategies continues to increase.
The Government are advocating the assessment of local needs for sport and recreation facilities and this is emphasised strongly in PPG 17, the Planning Guidance for Open Space, Sport and Recreation published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in July 2002.
In addition, the New Opportunities Fund Green Spaces programme, managed by Sport England, provides funding for local authority studies of sporting needs. Sport England has also produced revised guidance which makes the carrying out of local authority sporting assessments easier.