I welcome the Conservative Government's clear plan to get 3.5 million more people across the country active by 2030, including one million young people.
It’s important that people of all ages have access to high-quality sports facilities to stay active and healthy, both mentally and physically, and sports facilities play an important role in the local community. That is why the Conservative Government has today announced that more than 1,100 grassroots sports projects are to benefit from £93 million of funding, including new pitches, changing rooms, and floodlights, with Uxbridge and South Ruislip set to benefit from the funding.
I welcome the Conservative Government’s long-term investment in grassroots sports. Exercising more is the most common New Year’s resolution. That is why the Conservative Government is helping hundreds of thousands of people across the country stick to their resolution by delivering high-quality grassroots sports facilities. From Belfast to Bracknell, over 1,100 projects are receiving funding towards facilities such as changing rooms, pavilions, state of the art 3G football turf, goalposts, and floodlights, improving access to sport and physical activity for local communities.
Importantly, the Conservative Government’s multi-sport grassroots fund is investing in areas that are most in need, with at least 50 per cent spent in the most deprived and inactive local authorities. As part of this investment, local communities across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also benefit from an unprecedented £12 million in 2023-24, delivering in partnership with the Scottish FA, the Irish FA, Cymru Football Foundation and Football Association of Wales. A further £9 million is also being committed across these regions for projects to be delivered through 2024-25. This builds on historic investment in grassroots sport. Since 2021, the Conservative Government has helped deliver new facilities or improvements at almost 2,400 sites across the UK, getting more than 120,000 people active. The Conservative Government is sticking to its plan to improve the mental and physical health of the nation and provide high-quality sports facilities across the country ,ensuring a brighter future for this.