Former sports minister Richard Caborn has claimed that plans to increase sports participation in the UK as part of legacy plans for London 2012 are in danger of "failing completely".

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Sports and Recreation Trust Association (Sporta) – held during the Leisure Industry Week event in Birmingham today (21 September) – Caborn singled out Sport England and said that the decision to change the emphasis of the governing body's role in 2008 was "nothing short of disastrous".

He said that changing Sport England's role to one which merely funds governing bodies - instead of involving local authorities and regional sports councils in boosting participation - was a "massive mistake".

"The new strategy drawn up for Sport England in 2008 was fundamentally flawed and needs a major change of direction if the disastrous decline is to be reversed," he said.

As NGBs do not have the infrastructure to deliver mass participation, they should not be the agency responsible for mass participation. I ask Sport England to be a leader, not a bank."

"Sport England took a wrong decision which needs to be addressed and changed. Sport England must take the leadership and work with organisations that are co-ordinating sport and physical activity in order to create a lasting Legacy from 2012 and not spend 2013 saying I wish we had done things differently."

Caborn called on Sport England to increase cooperation and partnership with the likes of Sporta and the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) and to work in a more collaborative way to ensure there is more emphasis.

Dave Stalker, chief executive officer of FIA, said: "Richard Caborn has hit a bit of a sore spot. It is clear to see that some national governing bodies are struggling to achieve any increase in participation.

"This is not news to Sport England and they have strategies in hand to deal with this and some big decisions to make in the next two years."