Committee publication · Correspondence · 1 July 2025
Letter from Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive, Sport England, regarding oral evidence follow-up, dated 25 June 2025
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: Game On: Community and school sport
Summary
Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England CEO, thanks the committee for inviting him to give oral evidence on the 'Game On' inquiry. He emphasises sport's role in health and wellbeing, announces his successor Simon Hayes, and raises concerns about a potential removal of Sport England's statutory consultee status in planning decisions, which currently protects over 1,000 playing fields annually from development.
Key findings
- Sport England protects over 1,000 playing fields per year from development through its statutory consultee status in the planning system, introduced in 1996 after excessive losses of fields to development.
- The Government is reviewing statutory planning consultees and has signalled Sport England could lose its status; Hollingsworth warns this risks inevitable loss of playing fields as councils pursue housebuilding targets.
- Sport England responds to 98% of planning applications within 21 days and does not object in 70% of cases affecting playing fields, demonstrating it is not a blocker in the planning system.
- Removal of statutory status would undermine secondary benefits: opening schools to community use, ensuring local authorities have up-to-date playing pitch strategies, and Sport England's broader engagement with communities.
- Simon Hayes, current chief executive of HM Land Registry, has been appointed Sport England's new CEO effective September 2025; Phil Smith will serve as interim CEO from August.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
sports-facilitiesplanning-policypublic-healthlocal-government
Key actors
Tim Hollingsworth, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Sport England, Simon Hayes, Phil Smith, HM Land Registry, MHCLG
Notable line
“Once playing fields are gone, they're gone forever.”
Key Quotes
“Through the statutory consultee process, Sport England protects over 1,000 playing fields a year from development, and in turn safeguard places and spaces where people can be physically active.”
“Crucially, Sport England is not a blocker in the planning system.”
“Once playing fields are gone, they're gone forever.”
“Without a specialist agency or statutory function to protect playing fields, there would be no meaningful backstop to prevent them being lost.”
“… this is not about maintaining the status quo but ensuring that there is a meaningful backstop to ensure that playing fields continue to be protected.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗