MD2353 Major Sports Events Community Engagement Fund 2018 to 2021

Background

1. The success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has cemented London’s position as a world-leading host of major sporting events. London has secured an ongoing portfolio of events since 2012 to sustain our position as a world-leading host. They include the 2015 Rugby World Cup, 2016 European Swimming Championships, 2016 Track Cycling World Championships, 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships and IPC World Athletics Championships, 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup, 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2020 UEFA European Championship.

1. The Mayor’s Office is the first point of contact for anyone looking to bring their event to London. Working in partnership with a variety of city agencies, the Mayor’s Office is London’s strategic lead for major sporting events. This commitment is set out in the Mayor’s draft sports strategy and in the GLA’s major sports events framework, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’.

1. Recognising that most major sporting events require some level of public support, the GLA allocated £2.4 million as part of the 2014/15 budget setting process for investment into major sporting events to be held between 2015 and 2020. This Major Sports Events Budget supports the GLA’s major sporting events strategy for London, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’, which was published in April 2014. A further £1m was allocated to the programme as part of the 2016/17 GLA budget setting process for investment into additional events through to 2021.

1. In addition to providing financial contributions towards the staging of major sports events, in 2014 the GLA allocated £750,000 through DD1335 to a Major Sports Events Engagement Fund. The Engagement Fund pioneered an approach to provide event organisers with access to grant funding to run community projects associated with events being hosted in London, and, as a result of the investment,16 projects received grants through the Fund between 2014 and 2018. An additional £905,000 has been allocated to enable the GLA to support more projects between 2018 and 2021.

1. Building on the lessons learnt from the administration of the original £750,000 funding allocation, this decision form proposes the deployment of an updated programme model to maximise the impact of the new £905,000 tranche of funding.

Community Engagement from Major Sports Events – Previous Funding Model

1. As set out in the Mayor’s draft sports strategy and the GLA’s major sports events framework, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’, the GLA only supports the delivery of events in London on the condition that event organisers prioritise the delivery of community activities alongside delivery of their core event. Delivery of these community projects associated with major events had historically been reliant upon the support of national governing bodies of sport (NGBs). This resulted in a missed opportunity in terms of maximising community engagement opportunities. In order to support these projects, the GLA created the Major Sports Events Engagement Fund and made £750,000 available for national governing bodies to access.

1. Funding was made available through two models:

• • • The initial model utilised a solicited grant application process, whereby national governing bodies of sports with secured forthcoming major events were invited to present project proposals to the GLA. Applications were assessed and a decision taken on the level of grant funding (if any) to award. 14 projects were funded through this model with a total grant value of £490,000.
    • Following a review of the Fund in 2016, two projects were funded (with a combined value of £260,000) through an open grant application process, whereby community organisations from across London were invited to bid for a portion of the funding available, resulting in community groups from across London playing a key role in realising the benefits of London’s hosting of the Gymnastics World Cup and World Athletics/World Para Athletics Championships.

1. Under both models, the GLA sought input on grant applications from colleagues at London Sport before entering into a grant funding agreement directly with the grant recipient/lead project organisation.

London Sport

1. London Sport is an independent charitable organisation established to help make London the most physically active city in the world.

1. Its role includes that of being one of 45 County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) in England. CSPs are networks of local agencies, staffed by a central team, who receive core funding from Sport England to develop and maintain a detailed understanding of physical activity and sport at a local and regional level. They also provide a range of support and initiatives aimed at increasing participation in sport at a local level. The networks include national governing bodies of sport, local authorities, sports clubs, schools and community organisations.

1. The GLA works closely with London Sport in a number of areas. For example, they deliver our ‘Clubworks’ programme, aimed at increasing the capacity of sports clubs in London; they help publicise our funding programmes to their networks; and they provide intelligence and insight for the assessment of funding applications.

1. The Mayor appoints the Chair of London Sport and two further Board members; Sport England and London Councils appoint two Board members; the remaining are independent.

Updated Funding Model

1. Following the GLA’s 2016/17 budget setting process, a further internal review of the Fund’s delivery model was undertaken. The review identified that:

• • • The availability of grant funding for community engagement projects has made a tangible difference to event owners’ priorities in this area, with the vast majority now recognising the importance of delivering community activities associated with their events in London.
    • Continuing the availability of funding for projects is vital if London is to maximise the community benefits associated with hosting major sports events.
    • National governing bodies of sport do not hold the strongest insight into London’s communities. Relying on them alone to drive the development of project proposals did not consistently result in projects of the highest calibre.
    • Greater levels of involvement by London Sport officers during the development of project proposals resulted in more coordinated project delivery due to the organisation’s expertise in community sport and networks.
    • The GLA Sports Team does not have sufficient resource to deliver and maintain a large-scale effective Major Events Engagement programme
    • The strength of the link between the major event and the community activity varied between projects, with stronger and more meaningful links/opportunities created where the GLA had capacity to drive this work directly, rather than relying on event staff to facilitate opportunities.
    • One project model does not fit all events. A tailored approach is required to maximise the community benefits from any given event and to support national governing bodies to grow/strengthen their sport in London in a sustainable way.

1. The key learning from the previous funding model is that providing a dedicated resource to manage the programme results in stronger projects, and that involving London Sport to a greater extent in the designing, supporting and monitoring of project proposals results in more effective delivery.

1. Following the review, discussions have taken place with London Sport to ascertain how best to deliver the new tranche of funding. Agreement has been reached in principle that London Sport’s role in the programme should be increased, and that dedicated resources be put in place within London Sport’s staffing structure to manage the programme. The GLA will remain part of the decision-making process to approve project proposals and individual grants, but London Sport will lead the delivery of the programme, shaping project plans and monitoring their delivery. In view of its role, functions, networks and affiliation with the GLA and Mayor’s Office highlighted above, London Sport is uniquely placed to take ownership for and deliver the programme. The relevant functions to be established for this programme at London Sport are as follows:

• • • A 0.5 FTE post in London Sport to directly manage and co-ordinate the programme
    • Management – general management, grant management, finance and governance
    • Monitoring and evaluation support for funded projects

1. In order to facilitate payment, the GLA will put in place a grant funding agreement with London Sport, enabling London Sport to draw down funds as required on a project by project basis, with agreement to be reached between the GLA and London Sport as to the amount contributed by the GLA to each project and the individual project milestones to draw down that funding. In addition, the GLA will contribute towards the cost of the dedicated staffing resource via the funding agreement on a quarterly basis.

1. The lifecycle of each project proposal, and the roles and responsibilities of each organisation will be broken down as follows:

UEFA EURO 2020

1. In addition to ongoing requirements to support community engagement activities across the GLA’s portfolio of major sports events, the GLA is required to deliver an extensive programme of community engagement activities associated with the UEFA EURO 2020 tournament.

1. MD2226 confirms the GLA’s financial support for the operational delivery of the event. It is proposed that this is supplemented by an investment from the Major Sports Events Community Engagement Fund to ensure a comprehensive programme is developed and delivered to impact as many Londoners as possible in the build up to and during the event. We will work with London Sport to establish an appropriate budget to be ring-fenced from the Major Sports Events Community Engagement Fund to be utilised specifically for EURO 2020 activities, we anticipate this to be in the region of £500,000.

1. The scale of the GLA’s requirements, and ambition, in this regard is substantial, including the potential for a London-wide community roadshow, to be delivered in collaboration with London Boroughs. In order to plan and coordinate a multi-partner community programme, a dedicated staffing resource is required. Given the alignment of the EURO 2020 community requirements with the GLA’s wider policies around community engagement from major sports events, it is proposed that the 0.5 FTE role identified in paragraph 1.15 is upgraded to a full-time post, with a clearly defined role as project manager for the EURO 2020 community project for half the post-holder’s time. Additional funding requirements for the post will be met from the Major Sports Events Engagement Fund programme budget and included within the funding agreement with London Sport.

1. Whilst the post-holder will not report directly to GLA staff, instead being managed internally by London Sport resourcing structures, the post will be incorporated within the governance and resourcing plan of the EURO 2020 Local Organising Structure (LOS). The LOS is responsible for giving direction to event operations and inclusion within this process will ensure activities relating to the EURO 2020 community project are aligned with the overarching strategy of the event and event partners.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Insight

1. The monitoring and evaluation of this investment will be planned in line with the aims of the Fund and the wider objectives of Sport Unites. The GLA will be commissioning a full monitoring and evaluation framework and system (data collection, analysis etc) for the Sport Unites programme and this will include all the major events community projects commissioned via London Sport. London Sport will provide support to ensure projects adhere to the monitoring and evaluation requirements set out by the GLA. Any additional M&E support to be provided by London Sport will be commissioned by individual projects separately.

1. Should projects require additional support from London Sport to develop insight prior to the submission of project proposals, then London Sport would be free to offer their services to each of them. London Sport will produce an outline of the support that each project will receive as standard through the Major Sports Events Engagement Fund process and what additional costs would be charged for services above and beyond those parameters.

Budget Profile

1. The total budget allocated to this programme is £905,000, with two key areas of expenditure:

• Contribution to London Sport Costs (total across the investment programme £125,000):

• • 1.0 FTE post to manage and co-ordinate the programme - £95,000
  • Staff management - £10,000
  • Finance, grants & governance - £10,000

Office & recruitment costs - £10,000

• Contribution to individual project activities (Total £780,000)

• • c.£500,000 anticipated for EURO 2020 community programme
  • Remaining £280,000 to contribute towards approx. 10 projects with funding allocated in line with the process identified at 1.17.

1. Due to delays in mobilising the programme, along with a need to mobilise the EURO 2020 community programme in 2019/20 (rather than in 2020/21 as previously anticipated), a re-profile of the indicative budget is proposed, with expenditure on the programme forecast as follows:

The objectives of the proposed expenditure are to:

• Support delivery of the Mayor’s Sport Strategy as the primary vehicle for supporting community engagement opportunities linked to major sports events.
• Support delivery of the GLA’s major sports events strategy, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’;
• Increase opportunities for Londoners to engage with major sports events through opportunities to attend, volunteer at, and participate in community sport activity that is linked to, the event;
• Support delivery of the Mayor’s Sport Unites programme;
• Support delivery of UEFA EURO 2020 in London.

Funding criteria for individual projects will be created upon mobilisation of the programme. Projects will be required to deliver sports participation projects for Londoners to access that are directly linked to the relevant major sports event and to the objectives of the Mayor’s Sport Unites programme. Officers will work with London Sport to ensure projects meet these objectives and provide good value for money.

Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ of the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The Sports Team has consulted stakeholders and partners to ensure that as many Londoners as possible, including those with protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010), are considered in the planning of individual project proposals. Due consideration of these factors will be undertaken for each project to ensure that all Londoners have the chance to be involved in some way, be that through participating in sports activities, volunteering or attending events.

Key risks and Issues:

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

1. The Major Sports Events Community Engagement Fund will:

• Support delivery of the Mayor’s Sport Strategy and the GLA’s major sports events framework, ‘London: Home of World Class Sport’;
• Promote social development in London;
• Support the aims of ‘Inclusive and Active 2’ strategy for increasing participation in sport and physical activity amongst disabled people in London;
• Support the Mayor’s priorities around volunteering; and
• Support the aims and objectives of the Mayor’s Sport Unites programme[1].
• Support deliver of a range of the mayoral strategies and priorities including community participation and youth engagement.

The proposed grant funding of up to £905,000 to ‘London Sport’ as a contribution towards the Major Sports Events Community Engagement Fund, will be funded from the 2018-19 (£55,000), 2019-20 (£325,000), and 2020-21 (£525,000) GLA’s Major Sports Events Community Engagement Fund budget held with the Team London and Sport Unit.

It should be noted that the proposed profile of this investment differs from the indicative three years profile approved under MD2268. A re-profile of the budget is therefore sought through this decision.

The grant award will be subject to satisfactory due diligence of ‘London Sport’, and will
be governed by way of a funding agreement, with all payments made on successful completion of
agreed milestones.

All future years’ budgets are indicative and are still subject to the GLA’s annual budget setting.

The foregoing sections of this report indicate that:

(a) the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development or the promotion of the improvement of the environment in Greater London; and

(b) in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

- pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
- consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
- consult with appropriate bodies.

In taking the decisions requested, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion) and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Section 1.23 indicates that the contribution of £905,000 to London Sport amounts to the provision of grant funding and not payment for services. Officers must ensure that the funding is distributed fairly, transparently, in accordance with the GLA’s equalities and in a manner which affords value for money in accordance with the Contracts and Funding Code. Officers have indicated in section 1.17 that the GLA will be involved throughout the grant application process and will have a right of approval prior to the grants being made.

Officers must ensure that an appropriate funding agreement is put in place between and executed by the GLA and recipient before any commitment to fund is made.

Given that the proposed activity and related expenditure extend beyond the current mayoral term, officers must observe the principle that an incumbent administration cannot unreasonably fetter the discretion of any future administration. Officers must ensure that the programme is managed with this principle in mind. This includes (without limitation) providing break clauses in contracts for works, supplies or services, and in funding and sponsorship agreements, which enable the GLA to terminate the same (or elements thereof) at any point for convenience. Milestones and payments should be structured so as to minimise the impact of the exercise of such termination rights.