Index 3 - The Public Sector 4 - Public Sector Organisations 5 - Where do local authorities get their money for sport from? 6 - What factors have encouraged/discouraged local authority involvement in sports? 7 - What do the local authorities actually provide for the sporting public? 8 - How can local authorities try to improve participation in sport? 9 - Goals of the public sector 10 - Joint funding schemes 11 - Pros & cons of dual use schemes 12 - Private Sector 13 - The private sector 14 - Private Sector Organisations 15 - Examples of Private Sector Facilities 16 - What sort of facilities do private organisations 17 - Goals of the private sector 18 - Voluntary Sector 19 - The Voluntary Sector 20 - Voluntary Sector Organisations 21 - Goals of the voluntary sector 22 - Advantages of each Sector 23 - Disadvantages of each Sector 24 - Best Value 25 - Why was Best Value introduced? 26 - How do inspection reports work?

The Public Sector

Public Sector Organisations Local governments and authorities have a commitment to provide a range of public services and facilities. However, it is not compulsory to provide general leisure facilities such as swimming pools and playing fields. Nonetheless, local authorities make every attempt to provide the public with the services they require. One of the main aims for public sector organisations is to promote mass participation in sport through high quality recreational services.

Where do local authorities get their money for sport from? The National Lottery State/Government funding Sport England Council Tax from the local public

What factors have encouraged/discouraged local authority involvement in sports? Increased sporting participation Creation of leisure services departments in local authorities Increased public leisure time Discouraged Lack of funding Competition from the private sector Competition from other government departments for funding

What do the local authorities actually provide for the sporting public? Special school holiday events Events such as fun runs, open days etc Dual use centres – i.e. school gyms for use outside of school hours Sports Provision by Local Authorities Letting of facilities to NGB’s for coaching/competitions Recreational activities run by authority staff Provision of dedicated sports centres Letting of facilities to sports clubs

How can local authorities try to improve participation in sport? Provide and promote facilities and services. Promote provision for under-represented groups such as women/the elderly/disabled/ethnic minorities. Provide parent-child activities. Create positive links between schools/clubs/youth services.

Goals of the public sector Promote mass participation in sport. Provide sporting facilities for the local population. Provide opportunities for progression to excellence for young people.

Joint funding schemes These schemes allow school facilities to be used by the public on evening and weekends. Public groups include youth clubs, other schools, community groups. In theory, the dual use of facilities is a very good idea, but there are also disadvantages to the system…

Pros & cons of dual use schemes Advantages Facilities receive maximum usage. Funding shared by involved groups to minimise the cost to each group. Sports facility involves the whole community. Staff involved gain expertise as they would receive increased experiences. Disadvantages High usage of facilities results in damage. Some users excluded due to time constraints. Not available during the day. Students find facilities unattractive as they are there all day. Lack of flexibility with time slots. Little time for cleaning/repairing of facilities due to amount of use.

Private Sector

The private sector Privately owned companies. Trading in a profit/loss basis. People must pay membership fees to use their services. These facilities must compete with other private companies in order to make a profit.

Private Sector Organisations Provide a high-quality service – but this must be paid for Gain profit from the activities they offer Gain funding from sponsorship & television rights Private Sector Organisations Privately owned businesses E.g. Fitness clubs

Examples of Private Sector Facilities

What sort of facilities do private organisations offer? Commercial Organisations i.e. Golf and tennis clubs. Often modern and expensive buildings. Social as well as sporting facilities offered. High membership fees charged. Therefore, a large profit is made. Arenas/Stadiums i.e. Athletic tracks and football grounds. Spectators charged high prices for tickets in order to see high quality sports. Large crowds enter such buildings, therefore, a high profit is made.

Goals of the private sector To earn money. To provide high quality sports services to their members – but this comes at a price for the members in the form of membership fees.

Voluntary Sector

The Voluntary Sector Clubs owned by the members who pay annual subscription/membership fees. Work on a ‘break even’ basis – i.e. don’t make a profit. Money is raised via subscriptions, fund raising, sponsorship and possibly grants.

Voluntary sector organisations Managed and used Owned by members E.g. local tennis, hockey & rugby clubs Voluntary sector organisations Obtain funding from membership fees & fundraising Aim to make no profit OR loss from promoted activities

Goals of the voluntary sector To provide opportunities for mass participation. To provide opportunities for excellence and progression to elite clubs/status.

Advantages of each sector Public Private Voluntary Cheap facilities. Available for all to use. Reasonable standard of facility. Excellent facilities. Includes a wide range of sports. Exclusive to it’s members. Meet common interests of local public. Offer the ‘building blocks’ to talented athletes on their way to excellence.

Disadvantages of each sector Public Private Voluntary Facilities may be overused & therefore poor quality. Local authorities don’t have to provide services – so they vary from area to area. Expensive – so only some people can afford them. May not meet the demands of the public – and therefore not make any money! Don’t have much money & must rely on members/ sponsors/ grants for funding. Quality of facilities may vary greatly.

Best Value Introduced in 2000, best value is a government regime aimed at improving the quality of local government services. It was introduced by the government as a replacement for the competitive compulsory tendering (CCT) regime. It is administered by the Audit Commission which carries out regular best value inspections on council services.

Why was Best Value introduced? The aim of best value is to ensure that within five years all council services achieve performance levels that were only achieved by the top 25% of councils at the start of the five years. The emphasis of the initiative is on continuous improvement. If a council has improved its performance from poor to average it will get a better inspection report from the Audit Commission than a council whose performance has stayed at average.

How do inspection reports work? Inspection reports, published by the commission, give each council a star rating based on performance. Ranging from no stars for poor performance to three stars for excellent performance. The reports also provide an assessment of whether performance is likely to improve. If performance does not improve the government has the power to switch control of a service away from council control.