Sajid Javid, the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, has been appointed the new Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Javid was elected in the 2010 general election and was previously a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee.
Before being elected, Javid worked in business and finance – becoming a Vice President at Chase Manhattan Bank aged 25.
In his previous role at the Treasury, and following lengthy discussions with the Sport and Recreation Alliance, Sajid Javid agreed to review the legislation for the Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) scheme and launched a public consultation in the summer of 2013.
The CASC consultation resulted in significant positive outcomes for community sport including:
- registered clubs now being able to generate greater levels of trading and rental income (up to £50k and £30k respectively) without triggering a corporation tax charge
- the extension of corporate Gift Aid – which encourages more local businesses to donate to sports clubs
- a confirmation that there will be no limit on the amount of non-sporting income that clubs can generate from members.
And it seems Mr Javid is a fan of community sports clubs.
Commenting at the time of the consultation, Javid said:
“We want to encourage more people to get involved in sport in their community, including through local sports clubs.”
On the appointment Sallie Barker, the Sport and Recreation Alliance's Interim Chief Executive, said:
“I’d like to welcome Sajid Javid into his new role at DCMS. Working with the Alliance, Sajid was a key driver in the recent positive changes to the CASC scheme – changes that have really made a difference to grassroots sport.
“But with a physical inactivity epidemic in our midst we hope that this good work is just the start and the Mr Javid continues in his commitment to get more people engaged with community sport.”
