Stuart Anderson MP in bid to unlock £400m promised sports funding
Stuart Anderson MP has launched a campaign to unlock almost half a million pounds that the government has pledged to invest in sports facilities across the country.
In June 2025, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy MP announced £400 million to invest in new grassroots sporting facilities and upgrade existing facilities in every part of the country.
The Culture Secretary stated that villages, towns, and cities across the UK would benefit from the "transformational investment." However, the funding has still not been allocated.
In Parliament, Stuart has held Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to account on their action to improve the sustainability of local authority leisure centres.
In response to Stuart's written parliamentary question, the Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth Stephanie Peacock MP stated on 4th December 2025 that it is "working closely" with "local leaders."
The Minister said: "The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. In June, we committed another £400 million to transform sports facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated."
In a letter to the Minister, Stuart has now called for the previously allocated funding to be unlocked as soon as possible to support local communities like South Shropshire.
Stuart has added that the funding should accompany a longer term strategy to ensure the viability and sustainability of leisure services in rural areas like South Shropshire.
It follows recent uncertainlty surrounding the future of leisure services in Shropshire, as the Council seeks to rationalise services and making savings in its overall budget.
This comes as the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement marks a second year of reduced financial support for Shropshire, after the Rural Services Delivery Grant was scrapped.
As Stuart recently reported, Shropshire Council is set to face a £15 million reduction in government funding over the next three years. Stuart has said this will make it much more difficult to deliver local services.
In August, Stuart urged Shropshire Council to review its decision to decline funding proposals from Teme Leisure. An agreement was achieved that secured funding until April 2026.
Since then, partners have been working to secure funding until August 2027 when a single leisure contract is set to commence covering the whole county.
Stuart launched his campaign in January 2025, when he urged the new government to extend the [/node/167]Swimming Pool Support Fund which was created by the last government.
In May 2025, the Minister said that future funding was subject to the Spending Review. She stated:
"As you will appreciate, we are going through the Spending Review process at the moment so are not in a position to confirm future funding decisions until that is concluded. I am happy to update you when we are able to do so."
Stuart is encouraged that £400 million was subsequently dedicated to sports facilities. He now hopes to secure a fair share of the promised funding for South Shropshire.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"Local leisure centres like the ones we have in South Shropshire are vital community facilities. However, a more strategic approach is needed to ensure their long-term viability and sustainability. Last year, I urged Ministers to extend the Swimming Pool Support Fund that the Conservatives had created while in government.
"In June, the government subsequently promised that £400 million would flow into towns, villages, and cities across the UK to build or upgrade sports facilities. More than six months on, however, the government says that it is still establishing what communities need before allocating the funding. I want this promised funding to be unlocked as soon as possible so that local communities like those in South Shropshire can benefit from a fair share of support."
