We are committed to providing support for grassroots clubs who provide access and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. Bowls has a unique and important role to play in tackling loneliness through supporting people to have the social connections they need and in driving positive public health outcomes.

Our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England has a long-term partnership with the Bowls Development Alliance. It has awarded them over £1.8m (since 2022) in investment and funding. Sport England also provides free resources and support to grassroots sports clubs and volunteers through its Buddle tool. Furthermore, Sport England’s Movement Fund also offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most which includes the refurbishment or upgrading facilities.

We are committed to providing support for grassroots clubs who provide access and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. Bowls has a unique and important role to play in tackling loneliness through supporting people to have the social connections they need and in driving positive public health outcomes.

Our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England has a long-term partnership with the Bowls Development Alliance. It has awarded them over £1.8m (since 2022) in investment and funding. Sport England also provides free resources and support to grassroots sports clubs and volunteers through its Buddle tool. Furthermore, Sport England’s Movement Fund also offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most which includes the refurbishment or upgrading facilities.

Supporting grassroots sport is a key Government priority and we recognise the positive impact participating in sport can have on health and wellbeing, as well as the benefits that sport clubs have on local communities.

Since 2019, Sport England has invested more than £8.6 million into bowls, including over £19,000 in the East Devon constituency.

Bowls clubs looking for funding up to £15,000 can apply for the Sport England small grants programme. Further information on this can be found at - https://www.sportengland.org/funds-and-campaigns/our-funds/small-grants-programme

We appreciate that some bowls clubs may be struggling with rising energy costs. That is why we announced the £18 billion Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) in September last year. The EBRS was always time-limited, and has now been replaced with the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS). Under the EBDS, bowls clubs will continue to receive discounts on their gas and electricity bills during the 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024.

DCMS officials have engaged extensively with visitor economy stakeholders throughout the pandemic and will continue to meet with representatives from across the sector. I met with representatives of the Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association on 28 January to discuss the financial impact on bowling alleys.

Bowling centre operators can continue to access the Government’s comprehensive support package - including the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes, new grant schemes, as well as various government-backed loans.

Alongside a range of other measures to support leisure and hospitality, the Government will continue to provide eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England with 100% business rates relief from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021. This will be followed by 66% business rates relief for the period from 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022.

I, and my officials, have met with representatives of the Ten-Pin Bowling Proprietor’s Association, along with several other visitor economy stakeholders through the Tourism Industry Council, to assess the impact of COVID-19 and related restrictions on bowling alleys.

Bowling centre operators can continue to access the Government’s comprehensive support package - including the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes, new grant schemes, as well as various government-backed loans.

Alongside a range of other Budget measures to support leisure and hospitality, the Government will continue to provide eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England with 100% business rates relief from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021. This will be followed by 66% business rates relief for the period from 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022.

The temporary reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors which have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitality for the purposes of this relief includes the supply of food and non-alcoholic beverages from restaurants, cafes, pubs and similar establishments for consumption on the premises. It also includes the supply of hot food and non-alcoholic hot beverages to take away.

Where a ten-pin bowling business provides such hospitality, that hospitality will benefit from the reduced rate. In general, admission charges that entitle a person to participate in events where the primary focus is a sporting activity will not be eligible for the reduced rate. While the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to expand the scope of the reduced rate.

The Government has made available a wider package of support worth billions which includes extensions to the furlough scheme; extensions to the COVID-19 loan schemes; grant support; a business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality and leisure business properties; mortgage holidays; enhanced Time to Pay for taxes; and VAT deferrals.

The Prime Minister outlined the roadmap for reopening in England on 22 February 2021.

Step 3 of the roadmap will take place no earlier than 17 May, and at least 5 weeks after Step 2. Sectors which can reopen in Step 3 include indoor entertainment such as bowling alleys. COVID-Secure guidance will remain in place and premises must not cater for groups larger than the legal limits.

DCMS officials continue to engage with representatives of the Ten-Pin Bowling Proprietor’s Association, along with several other visitor economy stakeholders through the Tourism Industry Council, to assess how we can most effectively support the sector’s reopening.

The organisation of the 2021 World Indoor Bowls Championships is a matter for the relevant local authorities and governing bodies for the sport, subject to the overarching public health measures and the appropriate covid secure guidance for the event.

The safety and security of players and spectators in all sports remains of paramount importance and we will continue to be led by wider public health guidance.

The Government is committed to publishing data that has informed its decision making, including the tier allocations. The Department publishes a weekly watchlist giving epidemiological COVID-19 data for each lower-tier local authority in England. This is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-cases-by-local-authority-epidemiological-data

Detailed data on hospital activity is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/

The dashboard on the progress of the virus across a range of metrics is updated every day at the following link:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk

The Contain framework sets out how national and local partners work with the public at a local level to prevent, contain and manage outbreaks, this includes the allocation of areas to the appropriate tier, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/containing-and-managing-local-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreaks/covid-19-contain-framework-a-guide-for-local-decision-makers

Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf

This provides further information and context beyond the headline metrics as to why areas are in particular tiers currently.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like the leisure and entertainment industry.

That is why the Government has put in place an economic package of support which will provide businesses and individuals with certainty over the Winter months, even as measures to prevent further spread of the virus change. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and government-backed loan schemes. The Treasury has further provided funding to local authorities, to support both open and closed businesses through the Local Restrictions Support Grants and the Additional Restrictions Grant.

During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, government departments like the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and industry groups such as the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions, in order to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 across all key areas of the economy.

We will continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review as we respond to this pandemic.