Through the government’s new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, non-domestic energy users (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector and public sector organisations) will benefit from a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for a six-month period starting from 1 October 2022. This support will be equivalent to the £2,500-a-year Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households earlier this month.
Lisa Wainwright MBE, CEO of the Alliance said: “This announcement provides welcome additional support at a time when it is most needed. It is pleasing to see the voluntary sector has been afforded the same relief as the paid sector.
“However, whilst this support will ensure that energy bills are more manageable, we are aware that costs will still rise and this will have a significant impact on the ability of community sport and recreation clubs to operate.
“It must also be noted that this announcement only covers six months, and we must work to identify longer-term support to ensure the sustainability of grassroots activity beyond March 2023.
“Further measures still need to be investigated to address the immediate short term financial challenges clubs and organisations are facing already. These measures, as detailed in the landmark Unlocking the Potential report, include reform VAT treatment of sport, physical activity and recreation, a re-examination of Red Diesel exemption and protection and uniformity in relief for our sector in the business rates system.
“It is vital, for our nation’s health and wellbeing, that all parts of our sector are able to survive and to continue keeping people active.
“We will continue to remain engaged with our members and government to monitor the impact of this support and advocate for additional assistance as required.”
To read more about the Energy Bill Relief Scheme head here and you can find some further guidance here.
Here is an end-of-week wrap on some key workstreams we’re undertaking for you, our members, that we want to bring to your attention. It covers a number of important pieces of information for consideration or action.
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Read the statement from Sport and Recreation Alliance CEO, Lisa Wainwright MBE.
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International Women’s Day serves as a reminder of the importance of gender equality, not just in society at large, but in all sectors, including sport and recreation. While progress has been made in many areas, there remains a glaring need for greater representation of women in leadership roles, particularly on boards and as chairs of sports organisations.
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