English Chess Forum

Has anyone here read the 32-page document Coalition government documentation on the YouGov website?

Bits in it that may affect chess:

There are plans to reform the National Lottery, such that more money made from it goes back into "sport, the arts and heritage". Am I right in thinking the DCMS distributes the money that comes from the National Lottery? If so, how will this affect the £60,000 grant the ECF gets from the DCMS? Council was told that CfS was not required to keep the grant, but that it set a good impression to the people at the DCMS. Council was also told that it was likely that the grant could be lost at any time, which is beyond the ECF's control. This suggests however that more money will be made available for the DCMS to distribute, which could in turn mean that fears of losing the grant may be reduced.

It's also interesting that they plan to restrict the National Lottery's administration costs to 5% of its total income. The ECF's level on that is about 40%? I can't remember the figures, but it's something like £130,000 out of total annual turnover of about £330,000. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

I can't find anything else of interest; nothing on reducing the price of a CRB check, for example.

DCMS help Ministers to formulate National Lottery policy but they don't distribute the money. Read more here: http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/na ... fault.aspx
I believe chess doesn't qualify for lottery funding as it doesn't meet the necessary criteria. If it were accepted as a sport, it could qualify, but the civil service (I imagine - I don't know) advises Ministers against including mind sports in the definition of sport for fear of an endless series of claims from all sorts of pastimes, such as tiddlywinks and the like.

CRB is covered at Page 20 para 2
"We will review the criminal records and vetting and barring scheme and scale it back to common sense levels."


There will be a full spending review, reporting in the Autumn (page 9 para 2), and I presume that the DCMS grant to the ECF will be part of this

NevilleBel wrote:There will be a full spending review, reporting in the Autumn (page 9 para 2), and I presume that the DCMS grant to the ECF will be part of this

In the context of amounts spent on dancing ( out of the overseas aid budget) the ECF's £ 60,000 is relatively small change.

https://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Pres ... -projects/

NevilleBel wrote:There will be a full spending review, reporting in the Autumn (page 9 para 2), and I presume that the DCMS grant to the ECF will be part of this

Yes, and it would be arrogant of chess players not to expect to have to take their share of the burden. I don't subscribe to the view that because I am a chess player, that I should expect government largesse for chess, particularly in bleak economic times, when funds for things that really matter are facing cuts.