Mills To Oversee UK Sport Merger

Sir Keith Mills, vice-chairman of London 2012, has been appointed to oversee the forthcoming merger of Sport England and UK Sport, due to be completed by 1st April, 2013.?

Mills will chair the Project Board, whose remaining members will be the chairs and chief executives of Sport England and UK Sport and a representative of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Last summer the Government announced that it is to merge UK Sport and Sport England, the two bodies who distribute National Lottery funding, in the move to cut costs and increase transparency.

Mills’ main responsibilities will be to ensure the project delivers a merged body that incorporates the current responsibilities of Sport England and UK Sport for community and elite sport respectively, while maintaining distinct English and UK funding streams, which deliver value for money for the Government and the public.

Mills, who is also a director of Tottenham Hotspur, was the chief executive of London’s bid for the 2012 Games.

Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, said of the appointment: ‘It is fantastic to have Sir Keith Mills as Chair of the Project Board. His unparalleled business experience, combined with a detailed knowledge of our sporting landscape, means he is the perfect person to oversee this work.’

‘The structure of sport in this country must be rationalised and, going forward, it does not make sense to have two organisations, operating out of different and expensive central London locations with the associated administrative costs,’ added Robertson.

UK Sport is the body that funds Olympic athletes and aims to develop promising talent whilst Sport England funds grassroots sports – providing facilities and coaching.

The Conservatives’ policy aimed to bring Sport England, UK Sport and the Youth Sports Trust together but to retain their separate identities. The two bodies have been provided with nearly £800m in the run-up to the 2012 Games.