Connecting, developing and championing sport and physical activity in Clackmannanshire
Help ensure charity sports clubs don't pay rates
Clackmannanshire Council is seeking consultation over its budget of £161.5 million, they highlight that their costs have risen significantly in the past few years, due to a combination of inflation making the cost of providing the services higher, along with a continuing rise in demand for services such as social care. Click on the video below to hear directly from Ellen Forson, the Leader of the Council.
It is only right that Council staff propose all possible options for Councillors to decide – these are laid out in this booklet, which you can also get on the links below. As Nikki Bridle, the Council’s Chief Executive points out:
“Every year we hear from people across Clackmannanshire during the budget engagement exercise and it’s this feedback that helps councillors to identify what the Council’s spending priorities should be. It’s more important than ever that as many people as possible take part this year and tell us where they think the Council’s limited resources should be focused before the difficult decisions are taken.”
“Making your voice heard only takes a few minutes and, as previous Council budgets have shown, it really does make a difference. No decisions have been made and none will be taken by councillors until after the engagement exercise is complete.”
One proposal from Council staff is to remove rates relief from charity sports clubs. Paddy Sherrard, Chair of the Clackmannanshire ClubSport Network said:
“The proposal to charge sports clubs rates would have a significant detrimental effect on the members of the Clackmannanshire ClubSport Network, many of whom are already struggling with ever increasing utility bills and costs. For most Clubs, they would have to face either passing the costs on to their members or reducing the delivery of their activities. We’re not here to make a profit for ourselves, but have charitable purposes linked to sport and wellbeing.”
“To use Hillfoots Rugby Club as an example, they fund a development officer to go into local schools to deliver rugby and fitness training as well as running rugby camps and fun tag-rugby games over the school holidays – further increasing the financial pressure on these not for profit charities can only bring these activities into jeopardy.”
“The Council recognises the value of sport for our health and well-being, investing £77.5million in building the new wellbeing facility and ASN school project – it would be a shame for the Council to seek to fund such a significant investment in our future health and wellbeing, while threatening the actual delivery of sport in our community now.”
Have your say in the Council's consultation
Clackmannanshire ClubSport encourages our member clubs as well as their members to firstly take part in the consultation process, also linked below. It will ask you two key questions:
- What impact will these savings have on you and your community?
- Are there any amendments or mitigations to the options we should consider?
Lobby Your Councillors too!
We would also encourage you to lobby your local councillor, MSP and MP. Using a service like ‘Write to Them‘ enables you to easily write to your elected representatives. While you should use your own words to express your concerns, you may wish to consider the following points:
In 2024, Public Health Scotland estimated 3,185 deaths in Scotland each year are attributable to physical inactivity. In 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officer said “the message is clear: if physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure”. We need to invest in sports clubs delivering physical activity, sports and wellbeing at a grassroots level to deliver health benefits for all ages.
Public funding for sport must be considered an investment not a cost.
In 2021, the Scottish Government has committed to doubling the sport and active living budget to £100m by the end of this parliament (May 2026), but there is little evidence of this happening.
Community Leisure UK found that local government investment in culture, sport and leisure services across Scotland has reduced by at least 20% in real terms between 2010/11 and 2022/23. This is a trend that needs to be reversed.
The Scottish Sports Association #whysportmatters campaign found that participation in sport/being active can enhance overall wellbeing by 30%.
- A report by Scottish Rugby found that grassroots rugby in Scotland delivers an economic benefit of at least £159.16m per year, broken up into three key pillars – Social (£41.2m), Economic (£13.46m) and Health and wellbeing (£103.31m). It is an ‘at least’ value, and is conservative in nature.
Here are a few replies:
Extract from email from the office of Alexander Stewart MBE MSP:
“Although as we know this is a council issue and one that MSPs cannot directly influence, Alexander has discussed this and very much agrees with the importance, and essential work, of charity sports clubs so to this end, he will indeed make strong representations to this effect, whenever the opportunity arises…
Alexander very much agrees also that sport is a valuable tool which we can use to address a whole range of issues in Scotland, from improving poor health and reducing preventable illness to tackling anti-social behaviour and generating economic growth.
That means if we invest in sport today, we can save ourselves far more in other budgets tomorrow. The Scottish Government should recognise this with a proper sports strategy and funding that allows Sportscotland and many other organisations to make sure everyone can feel the benefits of sport.
So much so, and as your correspondence requests; he will be pleased to add his voice to those of your member clubs and their wider membership, in arguing that this budget option should not be pursued.”
Extract from email from the office of Keith Brown MSP:
Clackmannanshire ClubSport network have contacted me to express their dismay at the proposal for Clackmannanshire Council to re-introduce rates for charity sports clubs.
I am advised that the proposal to re-introduce rates for charity sports clubs will have a significantly negative effect on not-for-profit organisations who can only pass the cost onto their members, or reduce activity. Given the proven benefits of exercise and physical activity, the network firmly believe that the council needs to invest in sports clubs delivering sports and wellbeing at a grassroots level to deliver health benefits for all ages.
While the network applaud Clackmannanshire Council for funding the new Wellbeing Hub, they do not believe it makes sense for the Council to make this significant longterm investment on one hand, recognising the benefits of physical activity, yet imposing unnecessary costs on charity sports clubs which can only have detrimental effects in the short-term.
The network appreciates that the total of funding gained in this measure for the Council is relatively minor in terms of the overall deficit, however they assert it will have a significant impact on clubs who are already facing the financial pressures of increased utilities and other costs.
I am therefore writing to you on behalf of the ClubSport network to oppose this budget option in the strongest possible terms.