Its good to see that the old Gosforth School site playing fields are being preserved as playing fields and recreation as a result of the formation of the Gosforth Field Sports Association of which I am a Trustee. This is especially so when we see that 314 small playing fields were sold in 2005/6 despite the Government’s pledge to end the practice, official figures revealed today. A further 40 applications were accepted on sites which Sport England believed constituted a ‘threat’ to local sports facilities, with up to 90 additional applications still to be considered. The written statement also revealed that there were 50 fewer new sites created between 2003 and 2006 than the Government previously claimed.

This Government claimed it would put an end to the ‘great playing field sell-off’ we saw under the Tories, but these figures paint a very different picture. At a time when we should be encouraging the next generation of athletes, this Government seems happy to squander any possible sporting legacy the London Olympics could offer.