BASE HEADER

The economic benefits of sport in the West Midlands is also recognised and a Sport England survey in 2008, showed continued growth from 2002 with over £2.1 billion spent on sport-related goods and services in the region in 2008. In the same year, consumer expenditure on sport accounts for 2.9% of the total expenditure in the region, the highest percentage among the English regions. Compared with 2005, there is a 39% increase in sport-related consumption. During the period 2003-2008, the proportion of total consumer spending on sport has increased from 2.4% to 2.9%.

Sport and associated industries are estimated to employ 54,200 people in the West Midlands. This represents an increase of 23% over the period 2005-2008. During the aforementioned period, the percentage of sport related employment in the region increased from 1.8% to 2.2%. Employment linked to the sport-retailing sector increased very strongly during the 2005-2008 period, reaching 5,400 people employed. The region bucked the recession trend in all sport related indicators. Sport therefore plays a vital role in the economy in the West Midlands.

There Sport England would advise that Warwick District Council should view sports related planning applications where there is clearly employment being generated, as positive employment generators in the same way as B1 or B2 uses are.