A government report has called for Sport England and UK Sport to work “better and more closely together” in the areas of participation and the governance of national governing bodies.

The Triennial Review of UK Sport and Sport England, published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) this week, says that while Sport England and UK Sport remain “necessary”, the boards of UK Sport and Sport England must agree a memorandum of understanding on working together on both talent and participation by December 2015.

Recommendations in the report include:

• The relaxation of National Lottery funding rules to allow Sport England and UK Sport to explore partnerships with the private sector

• The publishing of a single set of governance requirements for UK Sport and Sport England by the end of 2015 - in time for the next funding cycle

• UK Sport and Sport England should ensure future staff contract terms do not stand in the way of an option to relocate outside of London

• UK Sport and Sport England should develop a shared vision with NGBs for future efficiencies by June 2016, including the creation of clusters and ‘hub locations’ across the country to enable co-location. As part of this work, NGBs should be encouraged to realise further cost savings from moving to shared services

Commenting on the recommendations, James Allen, head of policy at the Sport and Recreation Alliance said: "We’re digesting the findings and recommendations of the Triennial Review with interest – some of them look far reaching and significant for our sector.

“We’re particularly interested in the clear crossover between this review and the likely recommendations of the Government’s future sport strategy and would encourage members to send us their views and evidence as we work on our response to that wider consultation."

To read the full Triennial Review of UK Sport and Sport England report, click here.