JERSEY Sport has warned that a lack of government funding could force it to make cuts to services.
The organisation – an arm’s-length body formed to develop sport and active living in Jersey – receives £2.14 million annually from the government.
But chief executive Catriona McAllister said there was no funding increase for sport or physical activity in the Government Plan. This means that the Inspiring an Active Jersey strategy – a plan to invest £100 million over ten years to increase physical activity by 10% by 2030 – is ‘not achievable’, she said.
In a submission to the Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel, who are conducting a review of the Government Plan, Ms McAllister said: ‘Planning and policy for sport and physical activity within government is almost non-existent. There is little understanding by politicians or officers about the role of Jersey Sport. There is a lack of subject matter expertise within the government and no one advocating for the sector.’
She added: ‘The lack of understanding of the Inspiring an Active Jersey strategy and its ambitions and outcomes is also concerning. The department cannot meaningfully set the parameters for our remit and what the government requires of us if they don’t have a detailed understanding of the strategy and, more importantly, understand how the sector can contribute to many agendas and priorities.’
Ms McAllister said that while Jersey Sport appreciated that the government was operating in a ‘challenging financial climate’, she did not believe that funding for the Inspiring an Active Jersey was even considered as part of the new Government Plan.
‘The current funding will not be sufficient to maintain our activity, and cuts in services will be required to stay solvent. Our grant has no inflation mechanism and so we will experience a significant cut year after year,’ she said.
‘The Inspiring Active Places part of the strategy, which is about building sports and wellbeing facilities, has received limited funding, which is insufficient to move any of the projects forward. It is currently unclear how the development and redevelopment of sports facilities will be taken forward, meaning this part of the strategy has also stalled,’ she added.
Ms McAllister said it seemed ‘counter productive’ not to invest in a sector that can ‘do so much to positively impact’ change.
‘The benefits of having Islanders play sport and do physical activity is well known. The focus of our work and the Inspiring an Active Jersey strategy is to ensure opportunities to be active are equitable, and in doing so, contribute significantly to health improvement and social equality,’ she said.
