Published: Thursday, 11th June, 2009 8:00am

Letter: No team will be left homeless

I am writing in relation to last week"s article on the reduction of sports pavilions in the Wokingham Borough to set the record straight and provide your readers with the facts.

Your report is correct in so much as the borough council has recently taken the decision to reduce the number of pavilions it operates; however it is untrue to suggest teams will be left "homeless" due to this decision.

The facts are that:

The pavilions are underused, only being used about 10% of the week, and are expensive to run - collectively the pavilions at Laurel Park, Barkham Recreation Ground, Elizabeth Park and Bigshotte Park cost the taxpayer around £27,000 each year in cleaning costs, utility costs and general building maintenance costs.

Out of 57 football teams that use sporting facilities provided by the borough council, nine senior teams would need to be allocated a different pitch/ pavilion next season owing to this decision.

Teams have never been allocated a "home ground" and the council has made it clear that no club is guaranteed a space at their preferred pitch, although it has always been able to accommodate each clubs" wishes due to the supply of pitches outweighing the demand for them.

The borough council has spoken directly to clubs who have played at Laurel Park, Bigshotte Park, Barkham Recreation Ground and Elizabeth Park to assure managers that they will be able to hire an alternative and won"t be left "homeless".

An informal meeting last month was held for football and cricket club bosses who have played at these parks. Each representative was offered the opportunity to sit down with the council"s parks and open spaces team and go through their requirements thoroughly so an appropriate location could be found for the 2009/10 season.

All clubs will be offered an alternative for the 2009/10 season at one of the borough"s other four parks with pavilions. These pavilions are of a better quality but do not cost any more to rent - giving

each club better facilities for the same price.

Clubs can still use the parks and pitches if they wish - only teams playing in a senior league are required to have access to a pavilion and many junior teams that already use these parks do not rent the pavilions and will continue with this arrangement next season.

Laurel Park, Bigshotte Park, Elizabeth Park and Barkham Rec will continue to be public facilities maintained by the borough council. There is no plan to close any of these parks.

The council has continued to invest in sports and physical activity programmes in the last year and is committed to providing facilities for residents to improve their health. It will continue to invest in sports and fitness programmes - for example a new "all weather" pitch worth £160,000 is being laid at Cantley Park which will be available for use from the end of July.

Finally, if any sports club has a particular requirement or would like to discuss their club"s needs or booking form for next year I would urge them to get in touch with the council"s parks and open spaces team as soon as possible by emailing pitch.booking@wokingham.gov.uk or calling 0118 974 6000.

Neil Carr

Head of Neighbourhood Services

Wokingham Borough Council

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