CIMSPA calls for ring-fenced funding for sport and physical activity in the Budget

Ahead of tomorrow’s Budget, Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA, has called on the government to commit to ring-fenced funding for skills and professional development in sport and physical activity, in recognition of the sector’s vital role in the UK’s health, wellbeing and economy:

“We already know that there will be significant investments in skills, training, health and sports facilities, which is all to be welcomed. However, what we would really like to see is ring-fenced funding for skills and professional development within sport and physical activity.

“This sector has a central role to play in creating a healthier, happier and more prosperous nation, with the professional workforce at the heart of that. CIMSPA has been working closely with the sector for the last three years to ensure that we are in the vanguard of the government’s new skills strategy. This has already been recognised by our recent inclusion as one of the government’s Local Skills Improvement Plan ‘trailblazers’, and we would love to see the investment to enable that to be rolled out nationally.

“With the recent launch of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and an increased focus on preventative health measures, we would like to see sport and physical activity’s role formally recognised, and properly invested in.

“A relatively small investment in getting more people more active will reap enormous social and economic benefits across the country, and will ultimately save the taxpayer billions in the cost of treating preventable conditions.”