On May 14th , the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) published its final report following an inquiry into the social impact of participation in culture and sport, to which Pro Bono Economics provided written evidence.

Among the recommendations made by the report is a call on Government to ensure that new initiatives in this space – such as the forthcoming school sport and activity action plan – do not perpetuate existing fragmentation between school and out of school sport.

This was a point highlighted by Pro Bono Economics. Drawing on information collated following our 2017 Annual Lecture – “Has Britain got sport upside down”  – it was emphasised that “the split between school and out of school sport is detrimental to evaluating progress on getting children more active”.

It was therefore pleasing to see this acknowledged by the Committee and we look forward to seeing how the Government responds to its recommendations.

Commenting on the report’s release, the Committee’s chair – Conservative MP Damian Collins MP – said: “There is a lack of a credible agenda to harness the power of culture and sport across government. More needs to be done to co-ordinate and invest in community initiatives, share evidence of success and encourage others to emulate examples of best practice.”