Carmarthenshire looks at parks options
Many playgrounds, parks and changing rooms may have to be given up by Carmarthenshire County Council.
They will be offered to town and community councils and sporting organisations to help the authority achieve £26 million savings.
County Leader Meryl Gravell said: “We have to make tough decisions in critical times and prioritise.
“It is going to come down to choice of making decisions on protecting children’s services and adult centres or spending on leisure services.
“We also have to make sure there is a level playing field. Some communities already look after their own facilities receiving no subsidy from the Authority yet the current cost of the service to others is more than £600,000.
“Where communities are in charge and provide for themselves there is zero vandalism. The attitude seems to be the county will always pick up the tab for repairs. That has to stop.”
There are more than 200 playgrounds across the county and the authority manages 120 of them.
A task and finish group report to the Authority’s Executive board said it would cost £3-4 million to improve parks owned and leased by the council and another £500,000 annual to effectively maintain every facility in house.
They have recommended a five-year strategy to upgrade facilities before divesting their future control to interested organisations. Those persistently vandalised would be closed on health and safety grounds.
There are also anomalies across the county where some communities have free use of tennis courts maintained by the county where others have clubs running paid for facilities.
Executive board member for leisure services Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “We have to achieve a level playing field and be fair to everyone county-wide."
The authority will continue to seek internal and external resources to assist with the roll-out of facilities through S106 receipts and external grants. Community councils and sporting organisations and groups can access grants unavailable to the county council.
They will be offered to town and community councils and sporting organisations to help the authority achieve £26 million savings.
County Leader Meryl Gravell said: “We have to make tough decisions in critical times and prioritise.
“It is going to come down to choice of making decisions on protecting children’s services and adult centres or spending on leisure services.
“We also have to make sure there is a level playing field. Some communities already look after their own facilities receiving no subsidy from the Authority yet the current cost of the service to others is more than £600,000.
“Where communities are in charge and provide for themselves there is zero vandalism. The attitude seems to be the county will always pick up the tab for repairs. That has to stop.”
There are more than 200 playgrounds across the county and the authority manages 120 of them.
A task and finish group report to the Authority’s Executive board said it would cost £3-4 million to improve parks owned and leased by the council and another £500,000 annual to effectively maintain every facility in house.
They have recommended a five-year strategy to upgrade facilities before divesting their future control to interested organisations. Those persistently vandalised would be closed on health and safety grounds.
There are also anomalies across the county where some communities have free use of tennis courts maintained by the county where others have clubs running paid for facilities.
Executive board member for leisure services Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “We have to achieve a level playing field and be fair to everyone county-wide."
The authority will continue to seek internal and external resources to assist with the roll-out of facilities through S106 receipts and external grants. Community councils and sporting organisations and groups can access grants unavailable to the county council.
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