Communities Win Power to Save Local Sports Clubs

Emma Foody MP, Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Cramlington and Killingworth, has welcomed new protections that will be introduced to safeguard vital sporting facilities.

The English Devolution and Community Power Bill, debated in Parliament on Tuesday, will see the government adopt proposals brought forward by the MP earlier this year. The new protections will support protect sports clubs and grounds from developers by designating them as Sporting Assets of Community Value.

The new protections allow for automatic designation for eligible sports ground including football pitches, cricket grounds and leisure facilities. These vital protections improve the current system which sees just 1% of sports grounds across England are protected.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Emma Foody MP said:

“I am absolutely thrilled to see in the Bill steps to protect communities and community sport for the future. The Bill takes heavily from one that I introduced in May, creating a change to safeguard sporting assets of community value.

“This summer I was absolutely delighted to visit so many facilities in my constituency: Cramlington Rockets, Burradon Juniors and Backworth Hall cricket club, as well as working with the likes of Hazlerigg Victory, Wideopen football club and many more.

“These clubs and facilities are at the heart of our communities, providing not just sport but community activities, running holiday clubs and being a welcoming community space. They are the lifeblood of many of the villages and towns across the Cramlington and Killingworth constituency.”

Speaking after the debate Ms Foody said:

“Sports facilities are the beating heart of local communities. This Bill gives local people the power to protect the assets that matter most to them, meaning future generations will still have the pitches, clubs and facilities we all grew up with.

“It’s about more than protecting buildings and grass, it’s about protecting the heart of our communities.”