Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To advise the committee of extended support for delivery of the participation strand of Sport NIs investment programme called Every Body Active 2020 Strand 1 (EBA2020).

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Agree to extend the Every Body Active 2020 Strand 1 programme to 31 March 2021 with our delivery partners, subject to funding being approved for release from Sport NI.

·        Continue to support additional programming being coordinated by BCC officers; Programme Manager and EBA Coordinator, where there is an identified underspend in delivery partner budget or delivery partner underperformance against any of the KPIs.

3.0       Main report

            Sport NI Programme

3.1       In 2016, Sport NI commissioned Belfast City Council, along with the other council areas to deliver the participation strand of Every Body Active 2020. The aim of the programme is to increase the number of quality opportunities for targeted groups to develop and sustain participation in sport across key life-course transitions.

            Sport NI Targets

3.2       Belfast’s programme had five specific targets namely, overall participants, women and girls, people with a disability and people living in areas of high social need and sustained participation. Participation evidence highlights lower levels of participation within these groups.

            Committee authorised officers to develop and commission a blend of providers through a public application process to deliver Belfast’s Every Body Active 2020 targets.

3.3       Participation targets 2020-21

            There are significant increases in all targets set by Sport NI for Year 5 2020-21

·        Unique Participants - Increase of 3,426 (15%)

·        Female Participants – Increase of 2,268 (14.6%)

·        People with a Disability-Increase of 877 (21%)

·        Areas of High Social Need- Increase of 1,876 (23.8%)

·        Sustained Participation –Increase of 578 (8%)

3.4       The table above also includes three additional targets which have been added by Sport NI; the number of user surveys to be collected, the number of surveys to be collected from participants aged between 4 and 17 and the number of participants between the ages of 4 and 17 joining sports clubs.

3.5       The funding offered has seen a reduction from £468,074.00 in Year 2019-20 to £460,596 in Year 2020-21. A reduction of £7,478. The impact of this represents 17% reduction in budget per unique participant and will present Council with significant challenges in delivery. Along with efficiencies in management costs, reduction in budget has to be negotiated across the 15 programmes delivery partners, whilst supporting partners to increase in their outreach into underrepresented communities to increase participation targets.

3.6       Officers will continue to link programme delivery to other Council investments including the new indoor and outdoor leisure infrastructure, small grants programmes, neighbourhood working and Peace IV programmes to enhance the outcomes from Every Body Active 2020.

3.7       The final permission to proceed for Year 5 is expected by the end of February 2020. Sport NI have indicated that this will be the final year of funding for Every Body Active 2020. Taking into account the challenges in terms of both the significant increase in targets and the reduction in budget, BCC officers have worked in partnership with our delivery partners to produce the proposed Belfast City Council Every Body Active Strand 1 Year 5 programme. It is opportune to remind Committee that the Sport NI funding for this high impact participation programme will end in March 2021. Consideration should be made to how Council continues to draw down external funding and enable partnership working with key governing bodies through the emerging Sports Development Strategy and funding framework.

            The partners and the main KPIs each will work to achieve are:

            Current Position

3.8       Every Body Active Strand 1 provides council a resource to support the physical activity and health outcomes citywide and within the Belfast Agenda Framework.

3.9       Financial and Human Resource Implications

            Sport NI has given an indicative budget of £460,596 for the delivery of Every Body Active Strand 1 in Belfast for Year 5 (2020/21) which is a reduction of £7,478 from the budget offered for Year 4 (2019/20). Sport NI have indicated that this will be the final year of funding for this current programme. This Sport NI funding covers the cost of a fixed term contract of the Every Body Active coordinator, this officer’s contract will be extended to match the term of the funding offer.

3.10      Equality or Good Relations/Rural Needs Assessment

            This programme is an opportunity for the Council to deliver against its equality and good relations objectives. These would be integrated into the frameworks for providers.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.