LONDON BOROUGH OF HACKNEY
SPORTS STRATEGY
CONSULTATION
DOCUMENT
APRIL 2003
CONTENTS
I.
INTRODUCTION
1
II.
SETTING THE SCENE - HACKNEY
IN 2003 2
III.
IMPROVING SPORT IN HACKNEY
9
IV THE WAY FORWARD
26
I.
INTRODUCTION
Ploszajski Lynch Consulting Appointed in January 2003
1.1
In January 2003 the London Borough of
Hackney commissioned leisure management consultants Ploszajski Lynch Consulting
(PLC) to help with the creation of a new sports strategy for the borough.
This is intended to guide the development of sport in Hackney over the
next five years. A number of factors came together to prompt the creation
of the new strategy including: -
… The expiry of the previous
strategy
… The creation of a Sports College at Hackney Free and
Parochial School and the network of school sports co-ordinators
… The
development of a range of new and improved facilities in Hackney
… Significant changes in the workings of the
Council
… Success of sports development initiatives such as Active
Communities
… Adoption by the Council of its Cultural
Strategy
… Guidance from central government on the role of sport in
promoting social inclusion, helping reduce crime and improving health through
physical activity.
Scope and Work to Date
1.2 We were given a
wide ranging brief for this project. The strategy is to cover all indoor
and outdoor sport in the public, private and voluntary sectors. It is to
look not only at formal sport such as football, cricket, basketball and netball
but also informal activities such as keep fit and
cycling.
1.3 Since our appointment we have carried out a wide range
interviews, consultations and site visits and carried out a detailed review of
reports and strategies affecting sport in the
borough.
This Consultation Document
1.4 Based on this work
we have produced this short, consultation document. It is intended to give
a brief summary of the present position of sport in Hackney, to identify the key
issues to be tackled and to set out some principles for future action.
II. SETTING
THE SCENE - HACKNEY IN 2003
Hackney A Growing, Culturally Diverse Community
2.1 For more than 1,000 years, Hackney has welcomed many
different cultures and the borough has benefited from the cultural contribution
of immigrants from many parts of the world. There are numerous examples of
cultural activities in the borough which reflect these influences - from
carnival societies such as Perpetual Beauty to the new project developed by the
Hackney Society, which explores the impact of Hackney¹s diverse communities on
our architectural heritage. Currently, almost half of Hackney households
are headed by people from minority ethnic communities (Hackney Housing
Survey, 1997).
2.2 This is underlined by the results of the 2001 census
which have recently become available. Hackney¹s population has increased
by 11% since 1991 and is now some 203,000.
Ethnicity
2.3 Within this population people
were asked to place themselves in one of 16 ethnic categories. They
described themselves in the following way: -
… White
British
44.0%
… Other
White 12.3%
… Black
Africans 12.0%
… Black
Caribbean 10.3%
2.4
Within the next five years the majority of
young people in Hackney will be from minority ethnic communities. A greater
proportion than ever before of older residents will be from diverse
communities.
Religion
2.5 For the first time the census
asked about faith and religion. The three largest faith communities are:
-
… Christian
46.6%
… Muslim
13.8%
… Jewish
5.3%
2.6 However, 19% of Hackney¹s
population stated that they did not have a religion and 12% did not state their
religion. This latter figure is due to some ethnic and religious groups
having reluctance to specify their religion on ethical, moral or safety
grounds.
"A Kaleidoscopic Borough Diverse and Young, But Unhealthy and
Poor"
2.7
The quotation above is taken from the
Council¹s publication Hackney Today of March 3rd 2003. It is a
shorthand summary of the census data which records that: -
… Hackney has one of the most youthful populations in
London. The average age is 32 compared with 38 for the whole of the
UK.
… The number of children and young people between ages of 0
and 15, 41,800 has increased by 5,600 compared to 1991.
… Only
one third of people own their own home, the third lowest in England and Wales
… Hackney has the highest level of unemployment, 6.9%, of
all local authorities in England and Wales
… Hackney has the sixth highest level of household
overcrowding of all local authorities in England and Wales
… Hackney has the highest number, 7%, of permanently sick
people in Greater London and the second highest level, 15.9%, of people with a
long term, limiting illness.
… 63.4% of people in Hackney
describe themselves as being in general good health. This compares with 70.7%
average for all London boroughs.
2.8 Clearly, the Council and its partners face an immense
challenge to meet the needs of this diverse and vibrant community. Nowhere
is this challenge greater than in delivery of sport and physical activity
services. For example we know from previous consultations on the Active
Communities programme that: -
… The orthodox Jewish community in
Stamford Hill places little importance on competitive sport. They do have
concerns about the poor levels of physical fitness amongst the community,
particularly women, and wish to develop informal, recreation programmes.
… The Turkish community in the south of the Borough has a
tradition of involvement and success in sport especially football, wrestling and
weight lifting. Their concerns are about access to programme time at
existing and new facilities
… Women from the Jewish and Muslim
communities have similar requirements for physical activity programmes and are
keen to pursue swimming and dance for health. Both need privacy of access
to facilities and coaches/instructors from within their
communities.
2.9 Given this diversity of age, faith, affluence and health
the council and its partners cannot deliver a sports service aimed at young,
fit, middle class white men. This strategy cannot be built around only the
development of gym membership based on monthly direct debits, football for those
who can afford replica kits and clubs owned and run by volunteers with enough
time and expertise to spare. It must be an inclusive, strategy for
all.
Linking the Council¹s Priorities to Sport
2.10 Unlike other, more affluent areas of the country, in
Hackney sportsmen and women are dependent to a large extent on the local
authority to provide their sporting opportunities. The comparatively high
levels of deprivation, the highly transient nature of local communities and the
shortage of land for club development all militate against strong private and
voluntary sectors. Good sport depends on the local authority performing
well. Increasingly, good sports provision by an authority also means not
only sport for its own sake but sport linking to regeneration, neighbourhood
renewal and employment and training.
2.11
It is worthwhile, therefore, looking at the
policies which guide the Council
2.12
It is no secret that the Council has not
performed well in recent years and sport has suffered as a result. Indeed,
it is a recognition of this that has in part prompted production of this
strategy. However, the council¹s performance is improving with a balanced
budget and a corporate plan in place.
2.13
The Corporate Plan for 2003/06 sets out some
broad objectives for the Council as follows. The text is reproduced
verbatim from the plan: -
"Hackney Council has three key objectives:
… Making sure the Council works properly and
efficiently
… Involving the public in
what we are doing to get better
… Improving opportunities and quality of life in the
borough and promoting social inclusion
These key objectives are
interrelated. If we are to address the multiple deprivation faced by the people
of Hackney, we need to become a Council that works better than most. But we
cannot meet these objectives alone and to make the real improvements to service
delivery and quality of life the Council needs to work in partnership with other
agencies and the community.
This Corporate Plan sets out the key
priority action areas and what we will do to achieve progress. Other plans
developed by the Council (including the Best Value Performance Plan and the
service plans produced by each Directorate) will use the same headings used in
this document."
1) Making sure the Council works properly and
efficiently by ensuring
a) management and staff are responsible for
providing high quality services
b) we are answerable when using taxpayers
money
2) Involving the public in what we are doing to get better by:
a) improving consultation
b) reviewing our new democratic
arrangements
c) working with Hackney Strategic Partnership to provide
joined-up services
d) Making it easier to find out about our services
e)
dealing with service requests promptly and efficiently
3) Improve
opportunities and quality of life in the borough and promote social inclusion
by:
a) promoting sustainable development
b) reducing crime
c)
improving housing
d) improving the environment
e) helping our children do
well at school
f) enhancing opportunities for learning and giving our adults
the skills to get jobs
g) protecting and supporting the most vulnerable
people in our community
h) celebrating and promoting Hackney¹s vibrant
cultural heritage
i) improving transport links to and road safety in the
borough
2.14 The Corporate Plan makes a specific commitment to
cultural and sporting development (3h) as part of its work to improve the
overall quality of life in the borough. Most importantly it makes a
commitment to achieve this through consultation, partnership and linking to the
work of the Hackney Strategic Partnership.
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and the Hackney Strategic
Partnership
2.15 Under the banner of
Neighbourhood Renewal the Government has introduced a number of measures and
initiatives aimed at improving public services to the most deprived people and
areas. These include the targeting of funds (Neighbourhood Renewal Funds) to the
10% most deprived areas which includes all of Hackney. To receive these funds
local authorities are required to develop and implement a Neighbourhood Renewal
Strategy to ensure that their community receives better
services.
2.16 A Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) is an essential
element of the government¹s strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. All areas
receiving Neighbourhood Renewal Funds have to have an LSP in place. Its role is
to bring together key partners from across all sectors including business,
public agencies, voluntary and community groups, to work together to deliver
improvements in social, economic and environmental well-being. Cultural
activities including sport should be an essential part of this.
2.17 Like
other LSPs, the Hackney Strategic Partnership is responsible for agreeing the
Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy and deciding on and overseeing spending of
neighbourhood renewal funds. It will also oversee the implementation of the
Community Plan. It was set up in April 2002. It originally included
an upper tier decision making Partnership Forum of up to 50 members meeting
quarterly and a management Steering Group of 14 members meeting monthly.
2.18 However, in
response to the consultation and discussions which have taken place, the
partners have agreed to reform the Hackney Strategic Partnership. There is now a
smaller Steering Group involving the main public sector agencies and
representatives of the private and voluntary sectors plus a much larger
Partnership Forum ensuring that all key organisations are able to participate in
developing strategic priorities. The HSP¹s vision for Hackney will be reviewed
through public consultation in 2003 and will become the Community Plan for
Hackney
2.19 The draft neighbourhood renewal strategy made very little
mention of sport and culture. This omission must be rectified. The
HSP¹s review of its guiding vision in 2003 provides the ideal opportunity to
ensure that both the strategy and the forum fully acknowledge the importance of
culture and sport.
2.20 Linking the Cultural and Sports Strategy to the Community
Plan and Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy will provide a range of benefits not the
least of which will be access to considerable sources of funding. This
work should therefore be a priority for all those concerned with sport in
Hackney.
The Hackney Cultural Strategy
2.21 Sport does not exist in isolation from other leisure
pursuits and the society in which people live. Increasingly the term
Œculture¹ is being used to recognise this and to demonstrate that leisure
encompasses both activities and values. Cultural activity is at the centre of
people¹s lives, it gives meaning to our lives. This can be seen in the
excitement generated by a gold medal winning performance, award of an Oscar or
the release of a best selling record. "Culture is the shared values and
patterns of behaviour that characterise different social groups and
communities." (All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education. DCMS and
DfES, 1999.) These values could be a shared religion, which
might override a national and ethnic identity. Or they might be a shared wish to
improve the environment; or a love of singing together; or a shared aim to
create a local sports festival.
2.22 The Council¹s cultural strategy uses a definition
produced by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) in Local
Cultural Strategies Draft Guidance for Local Authorities in
England,1999 :
"Culture has both a material and a value dimension and includes a wide
range of activities including arts, media, sports, parks, museums, libraries,
the built heritage, the countryside, playgrounds and tourism."
2.23 In Hackney this means valuing
the diversity of communities and their cultural heritage, valuing the Borough's
green spaces and built environment, attracting visitors to local markets and
events and supporting creative and cultural industries and cultural initiatives.
A key element of the Lifelong (Adult) Learning Development Plan is the access it
gives residents to learn through their own cultures. Sport must also
operate in this way
2.24 The Government wants local authorities to take a
leadership role in the development of culture because it considers it too
important to be left to the accidental combination of external trends and
fashions. Recent riots in UK cities have served to emphasise the
importance for Councils to foster mutual understanding and respect and therefore
social cohesion through cultural activities.
2.25
Hackney¹s Cultural Strategy was produced in
2002. It sets out a vision for all forms of cultural activity and 6 key
strategic themes for achieving it. It provides the key context for
improving sport in Hackney and the starting point for the sports strategy.
This vision is set out overleaf.
Key Strategic Aim The Vision
Our
vision is to encourage all residents to participate in some form of cultural
activity whether as producers or consumers of culture. The Council's
primary role will be as a facilitator or enabler of cultural activities.
The majority of cultural activities are primarily provided by voluntary
organisations, businesses and individuals. The Council will focus its
attention on basic services, which support cultural activities.
To
achieve this, the Council will work positively in partnership with others to
remove the barriers, which currently have the effect of excluding many residents
because of age, poverty, gender, race, disability, health and geographical
location.
We will also seek to maximise the role that creative and
cultural industries currently play in the social and economic regeneration of
our borough. The Council will identify and support the needs of creative
and cultural industry providers and consumers.
The Council will
encourage the creative and cultural industries to assist actively in raising the
educational achievement of Hackney school children and to provide lifelong
learning opportunities for adults.
Cultural Strategy
themes
The main themes covered and developed in the
Cultural Strategy are:-
… social inclusion of everyone in culture
and cultural activities
… encouraging the sustainability and growth of creative and cultural
industries
… promoting
the contribution of culture in urban regeneration
… conserving, enhancing, maintaining and
promoting access to our physical environment and heritage
… supporting skills, talent, excellence and
innovation
… promoting
cultural and creative education and opportunities for children and young
people
III. IMPROVING SPORT IN
HACKNEY
Potential for Great Improvement
3.1 After several years of decline and neglect, sport in
Hackney faces a new kind of challenge, that of improvement and development.
Rather than face the problem of managing continuous decline the Council
and its partners in sport now have to see how they can grasp the opportunity
which a combination of circumstances has provided for significant improvement
over the next five years. For example: -
… Recent
months have seen the opening of the new Clissold Leisure Centre and the
re-opening of the refurbished Britannia Leisure Centre and Kings Hall Sports
Centre. The appointment of a new leisure management contactor has
increased customer service and participation levels are
rising.
… Lottery funding and other investment means that between
now and 2008 a number of new developments are planned to take place including
new public facilities at Springhill Park, Hackney Marshes and the New Kingshold
Estate.
… School sport will continue to improve through new
facilities funded through the NOF 3 lottery programme and by the work of the
school sports co-ordinators.
… Sports development work linked
to regeneration at Shoreditch, and Finsbury Park and the Active Communities
programme operating across Hackney and Tower Hamlets is delivering real, local
benefit, increased participation and demand for additional programmes, coach
education and capacity building training
3.2
However, in the past there has been a
tendency in Hackney for facilities and agencies to work in isolation from each
other and to ignore the potential for partnership and co-operation. These
new developments, be they new facilities or coaching and activity programmes,
need to work together within an agreed, overall strategic framework. The
recommendations made at the end of this section are intended to outline this
framework. Before doing so, however, it is worthwhile giving a brief
summary of the current position.
Existing Facilities
3.3 Appendix A gives a
list of indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the borough. For those
whose view of Hackney is the simple stereotype of high density, inner city
estates, there is a surprisingly large range of facilities especially parks and
reservoirs.
3.4 The majority of facilities such as Hackney Marshes,
Clissold Leisure Centre and the 8 major parks in the borough are provided
directly by the Council. However, there is a growing educational sector,
most notably Hackney Community College¹s major indoor leisure centre SPACe which
is home to the Hackney Cricket Academy. There is also a good number
of small, private health and fitness clubs and martial arts
clubs.
3.5 In
2002 the Council appointed Leisure Connection as its leisure management
operator. The company has invested several million pounds in improving the
older indoor facilities at Britannia Leisure Centre and Kings Hall and in
completing the new Clissold Leisure Centre.
Current Sports Development Work
3.6 The built facilities in Hackney are complemented by a
network of sports developmental programmes around the borough. These take
place in a variety of venues ranging from parks and leisure centres to small
local community centres and schools. They range from traditional sports
courses aimed at introducing young people to sport and improving standards to
work which takes place as part of a wider, regeneration approach and is more
concerned with social rather than sporting benefits.
3.7 Until the late 1990s Sports
Development was mainly carried out directly by the Council. However,
changes in staffing policy and financial cuts mean that they now only employ a
single development officer. Other agencies are working on the ground in a
variety of ways including: -
… Active Communities
A partnership between Sport England, LB Hackney and LB Tower Hamlets aimed at
promoting grass roots participation across the two boroughs. A development
worker is shortly to take up post to concentrate on promoting sport for women
and girls
… Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme A
sports development agency which grew out of Leyton Orient¹s Football in the
Community project. They are working on a number of projects in Hackney
including football development at Mabley Green, a drugs related project at
Woodbury Down funded by Positive Futures and regeneration work at Stamford Hill
and Shoreditch.
…
Access to Sport - a development
agency working out of the Michael Sobel Centre in Islington. They also
working on regeneration projects in Hackney including projects at Finsbury Park
and Woodberry Grove.
…
Leaside Trust - an educational
charity operating out of their own watersports centre on the River Lee in north
east Hackney. They offer a range of courses aimed predominantly at young people
to develop both sporting and social skills. They have been awarded funds
from the New Opportunities Fund to improve their facilities and enhance services
to young people.
…
Clissold Park Junior Tennis Club
is the first of the Lawn Tennis Association¹s City Tennis Clubs aimed at
promoting the game in inner city areas. It has grown from scratch to
having 350 adults and 800 juniors on its register. It operates out of
Clissold Park where it has 8 newly re-surfaced courts and offers tennis
development programmes at several venues across the
borough.
3.8 Successful development programmes are essential if
greater participation in sport and greater awareness of the benefits of physical
activity is to be achieved amongst Hackney¹s communities. The expertise
and experience of these development agencies provides a very strong foundation
to build upon.
Developments in the Pipeline
3.9 In addition to the
existing facilities listed in the appendix, there are a number of new
developments in the pipeline which will improve the range of opportunities
available in the borough.
3.10 Two of these schemes are being 100% funded from the Sport
England Lottery Fund under the "Clissold Leisure Centre ring fence arrangement"
and have already received stage one support. These are:
-
… Springhill Park A groundbreaking scheme involving
redevelopment of Lee Rowing Club¹s clubhouse and major improvements to the park
itself to provide a combined rugby, rowing, cricket and tennis complex.
This will be run by a charitable trust. Approximate cost £3.2
million.
… New Kingshold Sports Centre An indoor sports centre
with fitness gym and dance studio which will be programmed with an emphasis on
improving children¹s health through physical activity. Approximate
cost £2 million.
3.11 The National Lottery is also making funds available for
improvement to school sports facilities through the New Opportunities Fund, ŒNew
Opportunities for PE and Sport¹ programme, "NOF3" in shorthand. Hackney
has been allocated some £4 million from this programme for some 10 schemes. In
line with national guidance Hackney, through the Learning Trust has been asked
to work up 75% of the projects. These include:
… Homerton College of Technology Provision of a new
sports hall providing much needed indoor school facilities and an opportunity to
build on the excellent basketball development work in the
community
… Leaside Trust Extension to watersports
centre
… Multiuse Games Areas, Outdoor PE equipment and tennis
Courts at 5 schools
3.12 Hackney Marshes Subject to planning permission the
Council has entered into an arrangement with a private developer for the
construction of a commercial five a side soccer centre at Hackney Marshes.
In return for the land equivalent to 5 football pitches the developer will
provide free access to the pitches for schools, a public athletics track and
tennis courts and associated changing.
3.13
Less visible but of major importance, the
Council and Leisure Connection have recently introduced a new Hackney Leisure
Card which will provide a range of reduced prices for those on low incomes at
the Council¹s indoor facilities. The system is based on magnetic, swipe
card technology and will enable the Council to gather participation data using
such factors as gender, ethnicity, age and location. This will be of great
importance in fine tuning the service to better meet the needs of all sections
of the community. For example, if those leisure cards holders who lived in
a certain ward were making less use of facilities than those from elsewhere it
could indicate difficulties with transport or a failure of advertising media to
reach this area.
Gaps in Provision and Issues to be Addressed
3.14 Having painted a fairly positive picture of sports
provision in the borough it must be acknowledged that there are gaps and
weaknesses. These can be summarised as follows:
-
Provision in the north east of Hackney
3.15 There is a lack of indoor provision in the north east of
the borough. This is made worse by a lack of access to school facilities
in this area. Some improvement could be made by persuading schools to take
a more positive approach to community access. The school sports
co-ordinators have a key role to play in improving access
here.
Swimming Pools
3.16 In overall terms there is a lack
of swimming pool space across the borough as a whole. The major effect of
this is to restrict the ability of schools to deliver the national curriculum
requirement for all pupils to learn to swim at Key Stage 2.
3.17 Financial constraints alone mean that there will be no
pools opening during the lifetime of this strategy and, in any event, priorities
lie elsewhere. However, some improvement can be made in school swimming by
better promotion of existing pools and a reduction in
charges.
Sports Clubs
3.18 In common with many inner city
boroughs, Hackney has no football, cricket, hockey or rugby clubs which own
their own grounds and clubhouses. This means that the clubs which do exist
in these sports are not able to access many funding streams because of a
perceived lack of security. The effect of this is that promising
performers have to travel to clubs outside the borough to progress. On a
similar point there is no golf course or athletics tracks in Hackney.
3.19 It will not be possible to invent land to give to sports
clubs, although the Springhill proposals will, in effect create new, land owning
clubs. There is a need to look at maximising the tenure of those clubs
using council facilities to enable them to improve facilities and apply for
lottery and other funding.
Sport in Schools
3.20 Sports
opportunities for young people at school are inconsistent and patchy across the
borough. Hackney Free and Parochial School is now a specialist sports
college. It recently won the national Panathlon Challenge against schools
from all over the country. Hackney Free hosts the school sport
co-ordinator programme. This has just been granted additional funding from
Sport England to build on its successful start which has seen, for example,
after school sports clubs established in all 27 schools involved in the
programme. There are other schools which have a strong sports curriculum
and there is a long established Primary Schools Athletics Association which was
set up in 1893
3.21 On the other hand, four of the nine secondary
schools in Hackney do almost no sport at all primarily due to a lack of
facilities on site and one third of primary schools do not go swimming.
There is also very little mention of sport and physical in the five year
Education Plan which was prepared by the Learning Trust when they took over the
function of the local education authority from the
Council
3.22 Improvement to school sport will come about through the
school sport co-ordinator programme and the new facilities being funded by NOF3
but in many cases this improvement is building on a very low
base.
Maintenance of Facilities
3.23 Notwithstanding the
recent investment by Leisure Connection, sports facilities of all types continue
to suffer from a history of long term poor maintenance and lack of investment.
Haggerston Pool which was forced to close because of poor maintenance is,
perhaps, the prime example of this although the poor quality of many playing
pitches, tennis courts and outdoor changing rooms tells a similar tale.
3.24 New facilities funded by the National Lottery are
required to be well maintained over their lifetime and the council must commit
funds to achieve this. However, this must not be at the expenses of
existing facilities which also need upgrading and
refurbishment.
Co-Ordination of Sports
Development
3.25
Although there is a good deal of good
quality sports development taking place across the borough there is little
co-ordination of effort between the various agencies involved. That which does
take place is due to informal contact rather than any systematic approach.
There is a need for a formal mechanism for co-operation and consultation
and the Council is ideally placed to fulfil this
role.
Coach Education and Training and Links to Employment
3.26 The Hackney Cultural Strategy is entitled "Support for
the Creative and Cultural Industries" to recognise that the leisure, sporting
and cultural sectors are significant providers of direct and indirect employment
both full and part time. The strategy reports that culture is currently
the fastest growing sector in the UK and that between 7,000 and 10,000 people in
Hackney work in the field.
3.27 However the strategy points to shortage of coaches to
work in swimming, water sports and fitness centres and states that there needs
to be continued development of coaches to ensure a range of provision from
beginners to competition level. Our consultations also point to a lack of
capacity in the community to organise, coach and manage teams, competitions,
events and organisations. Despite this there is little evidence of an
appreciation of the opportunities available nor any support, training and advice
being available for those wishing to pursue a career in sport as a performer,
coach or administrator or in related fields such as
physiotherapy.
Equity of Access
3.28 The Hackney
Cultural Strategy places equity and social inclusion at the heart of its
cultural vision for Hackney. All concerned with sport should work
positively to achieve this. A visit to any sports venue in Hackney shows
participation by people from many and varied
backgrounds.
3.29 There are, however, inequalities of access in a number of
areas. Sport for people with disabilities is almost non-existent in the borough,
women and girls sport lags behind that for men and boys and national data
suggests that people from the ethnic minority communities participate in sport
to a lesser extent than the population as a whole. However, there is no
data available for Hackney.
Initial Recommendations
3.30 To address these
issues we make the following, broad recommendations and invite comments on how
these may be implemented in practice.
Baseline Assessment of Participation
3.31 The vision for sport in Hackney as set out through the
Cultural Strategy is of opportunities and participation being available to all
sections of the community with no barriers of race, gender or social background.
One of the first steps to achieving this must be to gather information on
participation in sport in the borough. A Sport England sponsored survey
into ethnicity and participation was carried out between 1998 and 2000 and
provides some useful data on participation by the black and Asian communities.
It does not, however, provide information on important sections of the
Hackney population such as people of a Turkish, Jewish or Vietnamese origin.
3.32 There is a need, therefore, for a statistically valid
survey of participation to be carried out across all sections of the Hackney
population. This should look at both who does and who does not take part.
This must also include identifying those factors which are preventing greater
participation.
3.33 This baseline assessment will allow comparison to be made
with the recently published census data and also information from leisure card
use and user surveys at leisure centres. This can then lead to targeted
action to meet the needs of under-represented groups.
Organisation of Sport
3.34 To meet the needs
of all sections of the community, all those involved in sport in Hackney should
be working together in a co-ordinated way. This is not the case at present
as is recognised by the Council and its partners. The first steps towards
improving this situation have been taken by the creation of the Hackney Sports
Forum for those agencies working in sport. This body has potential to
provide the much needed focus for sport in the borough. Not only that, it
can act as the champion and voice of sport promoting sport¹s value in its own
right and its relevance to social issues such as inclusion, health and community
safety.
3.35 The Council and its partners should, therefore, formalise
the role of the emerging Hackney Sports Forum as THE key strategic body for
sport in the borough. It¹s role will be to: -
… Act as
the voice of sport in Hackney
… Co-ordinate the activities of
the public, private, voluntary and educational sectors
… Promote the benefits of physical activity
… Provide a link between sport and regeneration agencies
and the Local Strategic Partnership
… Act as the parent body for a new
Hackney Sports Council
3.36 The Sports Forum should be made up of representatives of
those who work in sport, should have cross representation with the Hackney
Cultural Forum and also include a member from the Primary Care Trust and one
from the Council¹s parks section.
3.37
A Hackney Sports Council should be
established to act as a focus for the voluntary sports sector in Hackney.
The Sports Council should: -
… Have an annual budget in the
region of, say, £5,000 to £10,000 to enable it to grant aid projects and, hence,
be perceived as more than a talking shop
… Represent all sports and not just those with a high
profile such as football
…
Promote equity in sport and must itself have
an equitable representation of women, people with disabilities and members of
the ethnic minority communities
3.38 The creation of a local Sports Council will also provide
an opportunity for the Council to consult users and those concerned with sports
services on a consistent and regular basis. At present there are a number
of consultation mechanisms in place with organisations such as the Hackney
Marshes User Group, Parks User Groups and informal meetings with customers at
leisure centres. However, these appear to be organised on an ad hoc basis
to discuss problems rather than to plan the service on a strategic basis.
It is also unclear how representative these groups are and how well they
reflect the views of, for instance, ethnic minority communities and people with
disabilities.
Sport and Health
3.39 One the key tasks
for the Sports Forum will be to promote the benefits to health of formal sport
and informal physical activity in all its varieties. There is already a
good deal of work taking place in this field ranging from the Council¹s GP
Referral scheme, through the cyclist group set up by the Hackney Primary Care
Trust (PCT) to dance development work with Vietnamese and Orthodox Jewish Women.
However, much needs to be done to tackle the "epidemic" of obesity
particularly amongst young people and the poor comparative health of minority
communities. There is a need for general promotion of physical activity
including events, detailed education and local initiatives including taster and
introductory sessions.
3.40 The Forum in partnership with bodies such as the Council,
the Cultural Forum, PCT, the Learning Trust and facility owners and operators
should establish a Physical Activity Group. This group should:
-
… Compile an annual programme of activity promotion which
could include an annual "Health Day", regular taster days at leisure centres,
dance studios, parks, schools and community centres and one-off events to
promote, say, cycling or dance or walking
… Ensure
marketing links are in place between schools¹ PSHE curricula and local
facilities such as pools and parks and their programmes so that awareness is
turned into real participation
Sports Facilities
3.41 During this
strategy¹s 5 year lifetime it is unlikely that any major new facilities will be
planned and developed other than those currently in the pipeline (see paragraphs
3.9 onwards). However, there is a need to refurbish and improve existing
buildings and amenities. The priority for any future investment should be
given to: -
…
The improvement of outdoor facilities
especially to providing and upgrading changing rooms, showers and toilets for
outdoor pitches with special emphasis being given to improving access for women
and people with disabilities. The latter issue is of particular importance, with
the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act acquiring statutory force in
2004.
… Extending the operation of facilities such as outdoor
courts by floodlighting
…
Promoting and programming parks as venues
for physical activity such as cycling, tai chi, walking and informal games.
This may mean investment in improved lighting, signing and staff which
could be funded from health promotion and other non-traditional
budgets.
… Improvement to playing pitches
3.42 With regards to this last point,
there is at present an opportunity to improve pitch provision through the
Hackney Marshes development proposals discussed in paragraph 3.12. We
support these proposals which will bring much needed improved opportunities for
participation and development in a range of sports. Without this public
private partnership it is difficult to see how these could at present be
afforded.
3.43 Funding is increasingly forthcoming for playing field
provision, retention and improvement, particularly through the Football
Foundation and with the introduction of the New Opportunities Fund¹s ŒPlaying
Fields and Community Green Spaces¹ programme and the. With the advent of
such funding comes an increasing requirement to have a clear understanding of
the issues at local level to prove the need for the available grant aid.
These should be based on a robust playing pitch strategy in line with
recent government guidance.
3.44
The recent publication by Sport England of
ŒTowards a Level Playing Field - A Guide to the Production of Playing Pitch
Strategies¹ has provided definitive guidance on the methodology for
undertaking pitch assessments. By proposing a more standardised process, it will
ensure greater uniformity of approach and simplify the comparison of data
between local authority areas. The Council should undertake such a study
to guide pitch improvements. It may be worthwhile undertaking this
exercise in partnership with neighbouring authorities, given the importance of
Hackney Marshes to provision in the area.
Sport in Schools
3.45 The introduction of
the School Sport Co-ordinator programme is already making an impact on sport for
young people in Hackney and has the potential to create significantly improved
opportunities in coming years. This can be achieved by better organisation
and promotion of sport, by creating improved links with other bodies and by
raising standards of teaching, coaching and performance. This can come
about by: -
…
The school sports co-ordinators working with
schools to ensure maximum compliance with the National Curriculum¹s requirement
on school swimming
…
Improved promotion of physical activity in
schools as part of the PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) curriculum
and sharing of ideas on promoting and developing physical activities for pupils
not engaging in formal sport
… To ensure that sports
development pathways are in place for talented and keen athletes, there should
be further development of links between schools and Hackney sports clubs and the
development of more formal links with high standard sports clubs outside the
borough where no similar clubs exist in Hackney e.g. cricket, rugby, golf.
… Encouragement of young people at school to take coaching
and sports leaders awards and the provision of opportunities to use these
skills
… Provision of careers advice at school for those wishing
to pursue sport and/or sports management and coaching as a
career
… Involvement of the school sports co-ordinators in
drafting sports development plans for the Hackney target sports and ensuring
these are fully linked to the work of schools
… School
sports co-ordinators acting as a central point for booking facilities at the
Council¹s leisure facilities. This will mean Leisure Connection having to
deal with only one point of contact and will enable schools to benefit from
joint coaching and teaching opportunities.
3.46
Consultations show that price at local
leisure centres is a significant barrier to increasing participation in sport by
schools. The current leisure management contracts give schools priority
booking rights during the school day and set maximum prices. In practice a
significant amount of discounting takes place to encourage schools to take up
space that would otherwise be unused. This should be taken a step further
and schools given free access to facilities through a variation in the leisure
management contracts. The loss of income (estimated at £20,000) would be
comparatively minor in the context of a £1.5 million contract but would be a
very powerful signal of the importance given by the Council and its partners to
the development of school sport.
Sport, Employment & Training
3.47 The Council¹s Employment Strategy as quoted in the
Cultural strategy stresses development of employment opportunities in the
cultural industries by "providing learning opportunities, training and skills
development opportunities so as to support local employment in the creative and
cultural industries."
3.48 In sport this can be most obviously as a professional
player but also as a coach, physiotherapist, leisure manager, fitness
instructor, administrator or event organiser. These are not only full time
jobs but also provide the opportunity to work part time as valuable source of
additional income. There is a clear link with regeneration and training
initiatives across the borough but at present sport as a job does not have the
awareness and profile it deserves.
3.49
There is a need to ensure that schools and
careers advisors are fully aware of opportunities available and that
regeneration agencies see sport as a more than a source of diversionary
activities. Local sports organisations should be encouraged to give work
experience and placements to young people. Young people themselves should
encouraged to take community sports leaders and level 1 coaching awards and
mechanisms put in place to give them support when starting out as leaders and
coaches.
3.50 Appreciation of the importance of coaching is increasing
in Britain after a long period of time when it was not taken seriously,
particularly in rugby, football and cricket. Promotion of coaching will be
an important role for the Sports Forum with particular emphasis on minority
communities. Leading from this as a medium term goal should be the
creation of a Hackney Coaching Network to give advice and support to coaches.
We understand that there is a proposal to designate the Queensbridge
Leisure Centre as a centre for coach education and to create a central coaching
library and resource centre. This may be through a funding bid to the
European Community. We support this proposal.
Sports Development
3.51 At present there is
a wide range of sports development activities taking place in Hackney.
They are delivered by a number of development agencies including the
Council, Leisure Connection, Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme, Access to
Sport, Clissold Park Junior Tennis Club, Shoreditch Our Way and Hackney
Community College. However, these organisations act independently of each
other. Although informal relations and exchange of information are
relatively good there is a clear need for a more formal, co-ordination of their
activities to ensure resources are maximised, best practice is developed and
circulated and duplication avoided. The Sports Forum will provide the
mechanism for this.
3.52 The previous sports strategy for Hackney identified a
number of sports as target sport which would receive greatest emphasis and
support. These were Cricket, Tennis, Football, Basketball and Swimming.
In addition four target groups were identified within the population where
special emphasis was required to promote and develop participation. These
were Women and Girls, People with Disabilities, Black and Minority Ethnic
Communities. People Over 50. However, whilst these sports and priority
groups were identified as being important to the council¹s work there was no
wider "buy-in" by schools, clubs and the community as a
whole.
3.53 These sports and target groups remain important in
Hackney and should be key strategic priorities for the five years of this
strategy. What is now needed is a development plan for each of which will
show how these priorities will drive the programming of leisure centres, the
work of sports development agencies, the award of grant aid and the development
of school activities and clubs. These first of these development plans
should be completed within six months of the strategy¹s adoption and all should
be complete within one year. These plans should include specific proposals
to develop participation amongst people with
disabilities.
3.54 At the time of writing the Active Communities team is
recruiting a Women and Girls Sports Development Worker. A development plan is
needed quickly to guide this work.
3.55
One of the key sports development
initiatives each year is the London Youth Games sponsored by Heathrow. Hackney
competes against the other London boroughs in a wide range of sports including
football, rugby, basketball, and athletics, sailing, canoeing and riding.
The borough spends several tens of thousands of pounds on this event
either directly, through officer time and grant aid to competing clubs.
The objective appears to be to take part in the widest possible range of
events and to gain the highest possible points total rather than to look for
success in those sports identified as the borough¹s
priority.
3.56 However, this appears to be placing too great an emphasis
on quantity at the expense of quality. There does not appear to be a clear
link between the target sports and the youth games and much effort seems to be
given simply to having a team in an event on the given day rather than to
generating a sustainable club system. The council and its partners should
re-examine the basis of their participation in the London Youth Games to:
-
… Link participation to development of the target sports
and target groups
…
Devote greater resources to target
sports
… Ensure participation in any individual sport is linked to
sustainable development and not an end in itself
3.57 The scoping document for Active
Communities was written at a time when the Council was seeking to appoint an
external management contractor to invest in and run its leisure facilities.
The document recommended that sports development be embedded in the
leisure management contracts. This has been done to the extent that blocks
of time have been allocated to sports development, although the details of this
programming have not yet been finalised. The roles of the Council as
client and Leisure Connection as operator have not yet been fully
defined.
3.58 The leisure management contract is vital to achieving the
cultural strategy vision of participation by all Hackney¹s communities.
There is a need to develop the market by taster days, beginner and
improver courses, and encouraging clubs to set up and for people from minority
communities to come and try the centres. These initiatives need to be
linked to the development plans for the target sports and target
groups.
3.59 The Council should agree annual output targets for sports
development at each of its facilities. These targets should be both in the
form of programme elements e.g. x number of taster sessions in specified sports
and also in the form of numbers of participants split between various target
groups e.g. 50 new adults on swimming courses of which 40% should be female and
5% from the Turkish community. Incentives and penalties should be attached
to these targets.
Promotion of Sport
3.60 It is stating the
obvious to say that Hackney has a poor image in other parts of London and the
country as a whole. Sport and physical activity can help overturn this
negative image. There is already a great deal to celebrate, for example:
-
… Hackney Marshes is probably the best known community
football venue in the country
… Clissold Park Junior Tennis Club
is the Lawn Tennis Association¹s Club of the Year
… Hackney Free and Parochial School has had major success
in the National Panathlon competition
… The Crown and Manor Club is at
the centre of a world wide network based around football
… There
is ground breaking development work going on with the Orthodox Jewish and
Vietnamese communities
…
Clissold Leisure Centre and the West
Reservoir are facilities of the highest quality funded by successful lottery
bids and Hackney has an excellent track record of lottery
success
3.61 However, this work and the full range of facilities and
services are a well kept secret. It is very difficult for the average
person to get hold of basic information on facilities, programmes, prices and
opening times. For example, on a mystery shopping visit to Hackney Library
a PLC consultant found that there were no brochures or leaflets available about
any sports facilities in the borough.
3.62
There is a need for greatly improved
publicity, information and marketing for sport and physical activity in Hackney.
The council and its partners should give the highest priority to producing
and implementing a marketing plan within the next three months to include:
-
… Basic information leaflets and brochures to include
facilities¹ addresses, phone numbers, prices and opening times. .
… This information should be freely and easily accessible
in publicly accessible buildings e.g. libraries, doctors surgeries, post
offices, community centres, council offices and leisure venues across the
borough
… Information should be provided in a range of non-English
Languages
… Signage to and at leisure facilities should also be
provided in non-English languages
3.63
There is also a need for an internal
marketing campaign within the Council to inform other departments about benefits
of sport and physical activity and the potential for links to economic and
social regeneration. Even in such recent documents as the new corporate
plan and the draft parks strategy there is almost no mention of sport.
This is despite the publication and widespread circulation of the PAT 10
Report which stated
"Arts and sport, cultural
and recreational activity, can contribute to neighbourhood renewal and make a
real difference to health, crime, employment and education in deprived
communities. This is because they: -
a. appeal directly to individuals¹
interests and develop their potential and self-confidence
b. relate to
community identity and encourage collective effort
c. help build positive
links with the wider community
d. are associated with rapidly growing
industries "
3.64 The lack of reference to sport in the Council¹s corporate
plan is particularly surprising as the work in Hackney of Leyton Orient
Community Sports Programme is commended by PAT 10 as a case study in national
good practice.
3.65 The council¹s sports staff and members of the Sports
Forum should make positive steps to engage with members of other departments and
those working in different disciplines and agencies such as HSP to explore how
life in Hackney can be improved using sport and physical activity as a vehicle
and catalyst. In doing so, it will useful to draw upon case studies and
lessons from elsewhere in London. Priority should be given to improving
links with the Council¹s Youth Service and other organisations working with
young people. Connexions and Positive Futures.
3.66 The Jack Petchey Foundation has an award scheme
which recognises the achievements of young people and youth leaders. The
Council and its partners should use this scheme to celebrate and promote sports
related work in these fields.
Learning From Good Practice in London
3.67 One of the quickest ways to improve the situation in
Hackney is to learn from the experience of other London boroughs as they have
tackled very similar problems to those currently facing Hackney. Some
examples illustrate this point: -
… The Royal Borough of Kensington
and Chelsea helped to set up the West London Sports Trust which provides support
and mentoring for talented young athletes. This charitable organisation is
funded by grants from the John Lyons charity and local authorities to provide
scholarships to talented and promising athletes from disadvantaged homes. It
also promotes coach education and the training of sports leaders. RBKC supports
WLST through an annual grant under a service level agreement.
… LB
Camden has set up an Active Health team to complement their sports development
work. This team is considered to be a model of excellence and their
groundbreaking work was recognised by the achievement of the Keiser Award in
2001. They work in partnership with external agencies such as the Peabody
Trust and Age Concern and have been commissioned by the Camden & Islington
Health Authority to deliver programmes on their behalf. Their work is
primarily, but not exclusively aimed at older people and includes cardiac and
stroke rehabilitation classes, tai chi, movement and communication activities in
a residential home; movement with music classes for people with memory loss and
dementia.
…
LB Enfield has for a number of years
organised an annual Heart Run to promote physical activity. This year¹s
event was promoted specifically at members of ethnic minority communities to
address lower than average participation and higher than average incidence of
conditions such as stroke and coronary heart disease where physical activity can
help both prevention and rehabilitation.
… Several London boroughs have organised Awards for All
workshops in non-English languages to encourage grant applications from ethnic
minority communities.
…
LB Lambeth has begun a programme in schools
to develop physical activity programmes for overweight young people. This
is funded by the Lambeth Primary Care Trust.
3.68 The Council and the members of
the Sports Forum should ensure that they are aware of best practice by
membership of, for example the Physical Activities Group for London, the London
Community Sports Network and similar bodies to ensure that lessons can be
learned and applied in Hackney.
Investing In Improvements
3.69 Clearly many of
these initial recommendations will have cost implications for the Council and
its partners. How can these be funded?
3.70 As a follow on from production
of the Cultural Strategy the Council is preparing a funding strategy for the
cultural sector as a whole. Appendix B gives a summary of sources
available for sport for inclusion in this strategy. It should be noted,
however, that we have removed any reference to the Sport England Lottery Fund.
At the time of writing, Sport England is in the middle of a "stock taking"
exercise through which they are reviewing all their lottery commitments.
We understand that this is due to a gap between commitments and income
which has been reported as up to £65 million for the next five years.
Whilst there will be some funding available after the review it is clear
that the days of the major lottery funded projects are over for the foreseeable
future. It is to be hoped that Sport England confirms its funding of the
"ring-fence" projects at Springhill and New Kingshold.
3.71 The cessation of funding from
Sport England leaves a gap in the availability of external funding for "pure"
sports projects both in capital and revenue terms. To make up this gap in
capital The New Opportunities Fund ŒPlaying Fields and Community Green
Spaces¹ and the Football Foundation give some opportunity to fund investment
in playing fields.
3.72 To gain revenue funding for sports development, schemes
will increasingly need to be closely aligned with the aims and objectives of
regeneration, social inclusion and employment projects across the borough.
Successes and outputs may need to be measured in non sporting terms. The
sports development agencies have had a great deal of success in tapping into
sources of funds such as Positive Futures but there does not appear to be any
sharing of experience nor cross fertilization of how lessons can be applied
elsewhere in the borough. This will be an essential task for the Sports Forum to
tap into the funds available from sources such as the Neighbourhood Renewal
Fund, PCT and so on.
3.73 Finally there is the possibility to re-invest savings
from within the service. The Council has recently appointed Leisure Connection
as its leisure management operator. Leisure Connection is a private sector
operator, part of the Kunick plc a stock market quoted company.
Negotiations are underway to sub-contract the management contract to a not
for profit subsidiary of Leisure Connection which will enable the company to
qualify for rate relief and some VAT exemptions. Where this has happened
elsewhere in the country savings over £100,000 per annum have been made which
have been passed on to the client council. This sum, if re-invested in the
sports service would enable significant improvements to be
made.
IV THE WAY
FORWARD
4.1 This short, consultation document is intended to give a
brief summary of the present position of sport in Hackney, to identify the key
issues to be tackled and to set out some principles for future action.
4.2 What we now need is for those involved in sport to:
-
a) Check
the report of factual errors and omissions, particularly in relation to the list
of facilities.
b) Give us your opinions on the key issues and whether you
agree with them
c) Give us ideas on how the strategy can be put into
practice
Further Consultation
4.3 We have arranged a
number of meetings across the borough to discuss the way forward for the
strategy. These will be held as follows: -
a) Venue 1
b) Venue 2
c) Venue
3
The Finished Strategy
4.4 We will then review
and revise the strategy in the light of your comments and, more importantly,
create an action plan for putting it into practice. The final strategy
will be published in August 2003.
4.5 Please send your comments on this draft report to one of
the following: -
Jim Lynch
Rhys
Lewis
Director
Head
of Sport
Ploszajski Lynch Consulting
London Borough
of Hackney
47 St John¹s Avenue
Maurice
Bishop House
Brentwood
Reading
Lane,
Essex CM14 5DG
London
E8 1HH
Phone/Fax 01277 232171
0208 356 7262
/7575
jim@plcleisureconsulting.co.uk
rlewis@gw.hackney.gov.uk
Appendix A
SPORTS FACILITIES IN
HACKNEY
Appendix B
FUNDING SOURCES