‘A failed commitment’, ‘invariably complex’ and ‘very poor’ are just some of the words used to described council funding for sport according to a survey by this website.

Our investigations reveal huge gaps in funding budgets depending upon where you live in the country, with some district councils unable to offer any money to sport at all.

One response to the survey said: “Funding for sport is an absolute minefield, particularly for grassroots activity. We make every effort to limit the bureaucratic demands placed on applicants so that the money can get to where it is needed most as efficiently and effectively as possible, but the funding landscape for sport needs clarifying.”

A sports development officer (SDO) from North West Leicestershire District Council revealed that they currently had no funding available for sport; “At the moment we have £1,500 to allocate to individuals but no money as such for sports clubs - it’s all money that has been pooled from various partner agencies in the Local Sports Alliance not from the government.”

This is in stark contrast to the budget for Cambridgeshire, which has an overall allowance of over

£750,000 from government-backed Sport England.

The nationwide survey was emailed to over 70 local authority SDOs, asking for their opinions on workload, available money and recommended funding sources to form the basis of a frequently asked questions page on the site. Anonymity was promised to respondents in exchange for frank answers.

The survey also highlighted the chaotic application process, which seems to differ widely between councils.

The government was also criticised for diverting too much money away from grass root sports and towards elite athletes: “Funding should be increased for those with true potential, and not based on how well their sport has achieved medals,” said one reply.

Another SDO said the success of UK athletes is jeopardised by a lack of money: “If you look at America, their athletes receive every help they can get and their facilities are a lot better. Many athletes in the UK have to have a job and then train in their spare time which hampers their success.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport were not available for comment today.