The Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee has unanimously agreed to £1m of funding by Sport England to tackle health inequalities and physical inactivity in Sheffield.

As part of the agreement, Sheffield City Council will become the accountable body for the funding, and enter into a grant
agreement with Sheffield Hallam University Services Limited, which is the leading applicant in the investment.

The Council will be in charge of two main schemes “Community Development & Services”, focusing on strengthening community delivery in local neighbourhoods, and the “Move Well” services, focusing on supporting residents, especially those with long-term health conditions.

The five Sheffield neighbourhoods chosen for this programme are Firth Park, Woodthorpe, Arbourthorne, Batemoor & Jordanthorpe and Tinsley, with each ward receiving £70,000 to £80,000, and can spend in accordance with community needs.

In each of the local areas, there will be a newly appointed community project officer who will host community listening and work alongside them to understand how they would like that money spent.

The council will also implement training scheme, working with local people to build their capacity, resilience, understanding and skillset to be able to deliver long-term change in their community.

The full conditions of the agreement will not be brought to the committee until the summer, likely in June.

While there is a risk of Sport England clawing back funds, Kathryn Mudge, Service Manager at the council’s Physical Activity, Sport and Leisure committee, said the risk is “minimal”.

She said: “The only opportunity for clawback is if we use the grant funding for other purposes than what we have applied for, so if the funds are misspent or spent not against agreed headlines.

“We won’t do that and we’ll look to ensure that we’re spending as agreed.”

“We have a close relationship and a really strong relationship with Sport England, so they’re a part of the investment as well.

“They are on our committee board that oversee the investment. So they’re with us all the way along and we have a really great working relationship with them.”

Ms Mudge put herself forward as the point of contact if any residents want to engage or make any suggestions: kathryn.mudge@sheffield.gov.uk