Job search
Job Search
Latest news
More news: (showing 1 - 20 of 13726)           
UK only International

Government urges parish council to “reconsider” charging for parkrun

By Matthew Campelli    22 Apr 2016
David Evennett has looked after Tracey Crouch's sports brief since January

Acting sports minister David Evennett has urged Stoke Gifford Parish Council to “reconsider” its proposal to begin charging participants to take part in parkrun activities.

Talking in parliament yesterday (21 April) Evennett, who is covering the maternity leave of Tracey Crouch, said that while the matter was ultimately for the council and parkrun to thrash out, the government objected to barriers to physical activity participation.

“The decision to charge for an event that is free in locations across the UK and around the world is one that we as a government think should be reconsidered,” said Evennett. “We want to remove barriers to participation and encourage more and more people to get involved in sport. This is the key message the government wants to get across.”

Earlier this month it emerged that the parish council – based just outside Bristol – wanted to impose a fee on runners using the local Little Stoke Park to pay for “wear and tear” on paths and car parks.

Several members of parliament have since signed an Early Day Motion expressing disappointment with the proposal, while almost 60,000 people have signed a change.org petition against the decision.

Permanent sports minister Crouch tweeted that she “completely agreed” with parkrun’s stance of objecting to the council’s view, and that the council’s position was “contrary to the government’s sport strategy” Sporting Future.

During questions to the ministers from the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS), Evennett confirmed that over the five-year parliament the government will “invest more money in grassroots sport than ever before”, highlighting the “very positive” spending review settlement unveiled earlier this year.

“This settlement confirms this government’s continued support for positive outcomes sport can bring and will be spent in line with the new government sport strategy which sets out out how we’ll encourage more people from every background to engage in sport and physical activity,” added the MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford.

David Evennett  parkrun  Stoke Gifford Parish Council  Sporting Future  government  DCMS  sport strategy 
Sign up for FREE ezines
Related news

Company profile

Company profile: miha bodytec
Founded in 2007 in Gersthofen, Germany, miha bodytec is the market-leading supplier of Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) equipment.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Sprung Gym-Flooring: leading fitness flooring provider paves the way for top performance
Introducing Sprung Gym-Flooring, where innovation meets excellence in the world of flooring and sports solutions.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Loughton, IG10
Company: Knight Frank
Location: Grantham, Leicestershire
Company: Belvoir Castle
Location: Verwood, Dorset
Company: AVISON YOUNG
Location: Hall Place House, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
Company: London Borough of Bexley
Location: 15 Concessions across the nation's forests
Company: Forestry England
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

11-14 Apr 2024
Exhibition Centre , Cologne, Germany
22-24 Apr 2024
Galgorm Resort, York
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais), Wiesbaden, Germany
More diary dates