Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Lee Valley’s Chief Executive and our sports sector champion for the Red Tape Challenge Shaun Dawson, asks which rules and regulations you think get in the way of taking part in sport or running sports events.
Sport should be about enjoyment, empowerment and having fun, and this year more than ever before will show us that sport has the power of sport to transform lives and inspire people. As Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and someone who will be responsible for the management of four of the London Olympic venues after the Games this summer, I want people to remember how important sport is, not only to a healthy lifestyle, but to developing key skills and inspiring ambition. What sport shouldn’t be about is reams of red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy and that’s why I agreed to be a sector champion for the sport and recreation Red Tape Challenge.
Whether you’re a Chief Executive or someone who just wants to organise sport in your local community, rules and regulations can often be a huge barrier to holding competitions, improving facilities or starting a sports company from scratch. In turn this can also impact on your business and level of growth meaning participating in sport isn’t commercially viable either. This is where the Red Tape Challenge comes in. The government wants to hear from people like you and me who live for and make their living from sport. If there are rules that drive you mad or regulations you feel need to be made clearer then this is your chance to have a say and make a difference.
Have your say
The Government has already listened in other sectors and got rid of hundreds of regulations that the public told them weren’t working and now it’s the turn of us in the sport sector to have our say. And it doesn’t have to all be about scrapping regulations. You might feel that certain legislation or rules need to be clarified with clearer guidance, or in the case of existing regulations you might want to see them tidied up. Whether this is from designating stadiums that no longer exist, or reducing the burdens on holding sports events in your community this is your chance to directly influence what happens going forward.
I would urge everyone to have a think about areas where they would like to see improvements and then post your comments on the Red Tape Challenge website. It’s not often you get to have a direct influence like this and I want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved. The sport and recreation ‘Red Tape Challenge’ is open until the 3rd May, please use this opportunity to help get rid of bureaucracy and encourage even more sporting success both on the field and pitch, and in business too.
Further information
Take part in the sport and recreation Red Tape Challenge
How the Red Tape Challenge works
Watch our video all about the Lee Valley White Water Centre
Photo courtesy of Sport England