Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 5

22 May 2008

Partnership funding for Voluntary Bodies and other Organisations

2008/09 - Sport and Physical Recreation

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Sharon Robertson ext: 6007 e-mail: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report considers an application for financial support relating to the development of gymnastics across Hampshire. It recommends the distribution of £12,000.

1.2 Organisations seeking such financial support are key partners delivering sports development projects and activities in support of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sports Partnership Strategy, the corporate priority - maximising wellbeing and the local area agreement target for adult physical activity.

2. Recommendation

2.1 That partnership funding totalling £12,000 be distributed from the 2008/09 budget to the Pitt Street Regional Gymnastics Centre.

3. Background

3.1 Voluntary bodies and other organisations are invited to apply for annual partnership funding to assist them with their essential running costs. The support enables them to deliver sports development projects and activities in support of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sports Partnership Strategy and the County Council's corporate priorities.

4. Legal Implications

4.1 The Council has wide powers under Section 19 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to provide recreational facilities and to contribute by way of grant or loan towards expenses incurred by voluntary bodies in providing such facilities.

5. Financial Situation 2008/09

5.1 Current Financial Position

The base budget for 2008/09 is £159,300 and as in previous years the budget is to be applied to the following three priority areas:

Hampshire Playing Fields Association (HPFA)

The Association provides financial support to organisations delivering physical activity throughout Hampshire through a small grants programme. HPFA also provides a much valued technical support service.

Solent Sea Rescue Organisation (SSRO)

SSRO was set up by the county council in 1977 in partnership with maritime local authorities around The Solent as the umbrella organisation supporting beach and sea rescue units on The Solent. The budget to support the work of SSRO has been held by the Sports Service since SSRO's inception.

County Infrastructure Organisations involved in Sport and Physical Recreation

The Sports Service provides financial and officer support to these strategic umbrella organisations in order that they can achieve specific development aims and objectives within their sports.

The Sports Service enters into fixed term agreements, normally of three years, to assist these organisations to build their capacity and seek long term funding from other sources to enable them to become more financially sustainable.

The following fixed term agreements are in place:

Hampshire Hockey Association 2006/07 to 2008/09

Hampshire Table Tennis Association 2006/07 to 2008/09

Hampshire Women's Rugby Football Union 2007/08 to 2009/10

Hampshire Badminton Association 2008/09 to 2010/11

Hampshire Judo Association 2008/09 to 2010/11

Hampshire Swimming Association 2008/09 to 2010/11

Sport Hampshire & IOW 2005/06 to 2008/09

5.2 A decision on 11 March 2008 allocated £127,900 to the above organisations as summarised in Appendix 1. If the recommendation to allocate £12,000 of partnership funding is approved, this will leave £19,400 available for allocation later in the year.

6. Future Funding Support Towards the Ongoing Development of Gymnastics Across Hampshire

6.1 For many years the county council's principle involvement with gymnastics has been through the Pitt Street Regional Gymnastics Centre, Portsmouth which was developed jointly with Portsmouth City Council in the early 1990s prior to local government reorganisation. The county council made a capital contribution of £99,000 supplemented by significant capital support from Portsmouth City Council plus a grant of £450,000 from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts.

6.2 At the time there were very limited opportunities for gymnasts in Hampshire particularly those wishing to progress through from pre-school gymnastics to elite performance and for this reason Hampshire combined with Portsmouth to establish the Pitt Street Regional Gymnastics Centre Joint Management Committee (JMC) and to share the net annual revenue running costs of the centre.

6.3 Over recent years a network of purpose built gymnastic facilities have been developed across Hampshire including:

Basingstoke Gymnastic Club

Waterside Gymnastics Club based at Noadswood School in Hythe

Dynamo Gymnastics Club at Hamble Sports College

Andover Salto Centre

Rushmoor Gymnastics Academy, Aldershot

In the unitary areas key facilities exist at Redbridge Community School in Southampton as well as the Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth.

6.4 All these facilities provide progression through to excellence and receive no financial support from the Sports Service. Operationally, they are largely self financing.

6.5 Our financial support to Pitt Street has reduced gradually over the life of the JMC and with the recent move from the former HMS Temeraire site at Pitt Street to the new purpose built facility at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth it is appropriate to consider future funding support to the facility at this new location in the context of the county council's overall support to gymnastics throughout Hampshire.

6.6 The JMC has been appraised of the situation and county council member representatives have been regularly briefed of the potential future funding options. In order to bring gymnastics into line with the county council's general support to key sports in Hampshire it is proposed to move gradually towards supporting Hampshire Gymnastics as the county infrastructure organisation and for that organisation to distribute appropriate support at all levels of activity right up to elite performance through the network of provision that now exists as set out in paragraph 6.3 above.

6.7 A commitment was made to the JMC to manage the tapering of county council support so as not to destabilise the ongoing provision in Portsmouth. As Hampshire Gymnastics develops it's own capacity to lead the sport across Hampshire, indeed the Gymnastics Development Officer was only recruited in March of this year, it is proposed to assist the JMC by allocating partnership funding of £12,000 to the new facility based at the Mountbatten Centre for 2008/09.

6.8 It is likely that Hampshire Gymnastics will be in a position to lead for Hampshire in the near future at which point funding to the Mountbatten facility will cease. Progress towards this position will be monitored but it is anticipated that it will occur around the start of the 2009/10 financial year.

6.9 In conclusion, it is important that the role played by the JMC over many years in developing gymnastics at all levels should be recognised. The three county council representatives on the JMC, Councillors Gale, Byrom and Edgar have been consulted. Councillor Gale, who currently chairs the JMC, has indicated his full agreement to the proposal.

7 Impact Assessment

7.1 Race and equality impact has been considered in the assessment of these applications and no adverse impact has been identified.

LINK TO CORPORATE STRATEGY

Yes No

Hampshire safer and more secure for all

Maximising well-being _

Enhancing our quality of place

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the act.

TITLE LOCATION

Grant applications. Sport, Community

& Outdoor Services

Mottisfont Court, Winchester

Appendix 1

2008/09 Partnership Funding Allocations Agreed to Date