National Leisure Recovery Fund

Please note, the fund is now closed to submissions and all applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by late February.

The National Leisure Recovery Fund seeks to support eligible public sector leisure centres to reopen to the public, giving the sport and physical activity sector the best chance of recovery to a position of sustainable operation over the medium term.

We've worked with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to set the fund criteria and will act as the accountable body for its administration and monitoring - on behalf of DCMS.

A total of £100 million is available as a biddable fund to eligible local authorities in England, which will be allocated in a single funding round covering the period 1 December 2020 to 31 March 2021.

We've worked closely with the Local Government Association (LGA), ukactive, the District Councils' Network, Community Leisure UK, Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association and others to make sure the application and funding process is as fast and simple as possible.

A number of pilot sessions have also been held with local authorities and their operators to test the process.

Can I use the award on costs incurred during lockdown?

Given the changing circumstances with the latest lockdown restrictions since the NLRF applications opened, DCMS has agreed some changes to the criteria for how the award money can be spent.

Therefore, even though the applications should’ve continued to be made on the basis of the position as at 14th December, and include for the additional costs for reopening between the 1 December and 31 March; the award monies can also now be used towards the following costs incurred by your outsourced operators during this latest lockdown period:

• Utilities
• Staff costs not furloughed
• Essential asset maintenance
• Security.

In addition, recognising that lockdown has delayed any reopening plans, remaining monies for reopening can be utilised beyond the 31 March 2021. All award payments will continue to be made before the end of the financial year, i.e. prior to 31 March 2021.

The core objectives of the National Leisure Recovery Fund are to:

• Support the reopening of public sector leisure facilities and activities following the second period of national restrictions in England.
• Provide the best chance of recovery to a position of sustainable operation over the medium to long term.
• Sustain the delivery of activities (such as swimming) that aren't widely accessible in the private market.
• Enhance health and wellbeing and support physical activity across England – contributing to the government’s objectives around healthy lifestyles, reducing obesity and reducing inequality.

The investment is intended to ensure that, by 31 March 2021, successful applicants are either:

• fully or partially reopened, subject to continued coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions
• operating on a sustainable, cost-efficient, basis so that, where relevant, they can open more fully at a later date.

To help ensure an equitable distribution of the fund, a Notional Funding Allocation (NFA) has been calculated for each eligible local authority.

The purpose of the NFA is to maximise the impact of the fund and provide financial assistance for as many local authorities and their leisure providers as possible.

Funding awards won't be made in excess of the notional allocation except in the most exceptional circumstances.

The NFA is determined on a per capita basis. This is then adjusted to take into consideration physical activity levels, number of facilities and health outcome indicators.

The NFA also provides Sport England with a control to ensure funds are distributed equitably and not exhausted prematurely - however, eligible authorities are still required to demonstrate the need for funding and that the proposed recovery plan presents a sustainable model that can achieve the desired outcomes and objectives.

All applicants will receive an application form, elements of which will be partially pre-populated with historic and operational data and their respective NFA. The allocation is a guide for applicants in determining how much to apply for i.e. the funding request.

Please note, each applicant should consider their specific local circumstances when submitting their application. Individual funding awards will depend upon the assessment of the submitted application against the defined fund assessment criteria.

Further information regarding the notional funding allocation can be found in the detailed guidance.