Commonwealth Games 2022

(asked on 11th February 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential long-term benefits of hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022; and what steps they are taking to realise any such benefits.


Answered by
Baroness Barran Portrait
Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This question was answered on 25th February 2020

Hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will create long-term benefits for the city and the region, and DCMS is working closely with all Games Partners - including the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee, Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority to maximise these. We are developing an evaluation methodology for the legacy, and this will be published in due course alongside a wider Games legacy plan. This legacy work will be informed by lessons from previous Games, including London 2012 and Glasgow 2014.

The ambitions for the Games are to improve health and wellbeing, bring people together, be a catalyst for change, put Britain on the map and help the region to grow and succeed. Hosting the Games is accelerating infrastructure and public transport improvements across the city and region, including new housing in Perry Barr and improvements to the University and Perry Barr railway stations.

The Games will also bring upgraded elite and community sport facilities to Alexander Stadium, and the creation of a brand new aquatics centre in Sandwell, creating more opportunities for people to get active. We will build on the lessons from Sport England’s £10m investment to tackle inactivity in underrepresented groups in Birmingham and Solihull to ensure as many people as possible access opportunities to get active as a result of the Games.

The Games is also a unique opportunity to drive economic growth in the region, create jobs and boost local skills. The Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee is expected to require around 41,000 staff, contractors and volunteers. The Commonwealth Games Village alone will support up to 400 new jobs, including 50 new apprenticeships. To boost skills, a Construction Training Hub has been established next to the Village site in Perry Barr offering bespoke training for local unemployed people to access these new construction opportunities being created in the region. A series of business engagement events has been hosted to support local businesses in bidding for Games contracts.

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