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Education, Sport and Culture say they are "currently exploring our thinking with the Guernsey Sports Commission", but the committee President is definitive that there will not be a rethink on the budget cuts.
Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen has reiterated the decision to reduce the funding allocated to the Sports Commission which it uses to pay for the Active 8 programme.
That decision has not been welcomed by all, with fellow ESC committee member, Deputy Andy Cameron among those criticising the cut saying sports provision should be protected.
Pictured: Deputy Andy Cameron will be leading the challenge against the funding cuts imposed by his committee against the Sports Commission.
He is planning a requete to challenge the decision in the States.
However, Deputy Dudley-Owen says the decision has been made and there are other ways for the Sports Commission to fund the Active 8 programme without relying on public funds.
"The Committee greatly values the work of the Guernsey Sports Commission," she said, explaining that: "The Commission currently receives three grants from the Committee. It receives £282,529 as a general grant and £243,494 for delivering sport in schools.
"In addition, the Committee is seeking funding from the States, via the Government Work Plan process, for £123,556 in 2024 to support the Commission’s work delivering Active 8: A Plan for Sport. While this funding would represent a reduction on the amount provided during the last three years, we believe that when combined with a focus on new ways of working and with increased levels of fundraising, the Commission will be able to continue to deliver against the priorities of Active 8."
The Active 8 programme was backed by the States in August 2020. It was intended to ‘Create Opportunity, Build Community and Support Excellence in sport and physical activity’ with eight key objectives 'to encourage islanders of all ages to be more active by developing accessible facilities and supporting existing clubs'.
The Sports Commission has not commented on the future risk to its funding for Active 8 beyond a brief statement released last week which said it is considering how it may impact on its work.
The Commission said it wanted to discuss the funding proposals further with ESC.
Above: The Sports Commission released this statement last week.
Deputy Dudley-Owen said she is aware of opposition to the funding proposals but she is also keen to explore new ways of thinking with the Sports Commission.
"I am aware that as the Committee’s representative for sport Deputy Cameron holds a different view, which I respect. However, the rest of our Committee believe the amount of funding we’re proposing balances our desire to support the Commission in its work with our need to be custodians of public funds, ensuring every amount is used as efficiently as possible, especially in these very challenging financial times when all Committees have to reduce expenditure wherever possible.
"It is also important to highlight that the States previously agreed three years of funding for Active 8: A Plan for Sport. That funding is coming to an end so the Committee is seeking new funding that is not currently accounted for, and is doing so at a level it believes is justifiable in the current economic climate. We are currently exploring our thinking with the Guernsey Sports Commission, and we are pleased that P&RC’s “green paper” approach to the GWP process affords us the time to do this."
Deputy Dudley-Owen doesn’t appear to have done her research. She is now telling the Sports Commission to “raise funds privately” to plug the gap which would result from ESC’s cuts. The Commission set up its Sponsors Club in 2007 and has privately raised….
— David Piesing (@DavidPiesing63) June 15, 2023
David Piesing - a Commissioner for the Sports Commission - has criticised the funding cuts publicly, also accusing Deputy Dudley-Owen of not doing her research.
He tweeted examples of where the GSC has received "literally millions of pounds of private donations and sponsorship since 2007", which he says is "far in excess of what the Commission has received" from the States.
While a spokesperson for ESC has told Express that Mr Piesing is quoting out of date figures, he has also accused the States of underfunding sports provision for years and called for the cuts to be "robustly challenged".
Deputy Aidan Matthews - who sits on HSC - agreed with Mr Piesing and said that the GSC was an "easy" target and said the committee needs to make cutbacks "because they picked the most expensive and inefficient model for secondary education".
It's not yet known if Deputy Matthews is one of those backing a requete planned by Deputy Cameron to reinstate the Active 8 funding at a higher level. Deputy Cameron told Express that he had been "contacted by more than enough deputies willing to sign a requete" but that "it’s still early days so I’d rather not disclose who the petitioners will be until I know the exact numbers who are going to back it, unsurprisingly I have support from both sides of the Assembly.
"I’m certain that I do have the numbers to support the requete, so this whole proposal is likely to be nothing more than a drain of States members time when we have much more vital items to debate (housing, hospital, schools)."
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