Published: Thursday, 18th June, 2009 8:00am

Letter: 24 years on our "home ground"

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THE letter from Neil Carr, Head of Neighbourhood Services "No team will be left homeless" begs a response (Chronicle, June 11). As with all areas of governmental operations, a lot of what he writes is accurate, it"s what is not said that hides the sad fact of providing a "Neighbourhood Service".

The loss of £27,000 each year would appear to now not include rates, or was that a mistake by his representative at the meeting, which he was not at?

Although teams are allocated a ground each year, I"m sure he would agree that after 24 years at the same ground ie Laurel Park, we have some right to believe that this is/was our "home ground"!

Indeed junior teams do not rent the pavilions, but they have been given access and the use, with no charge, to the toilets and storage room.

Once the pavilions have been closed these facilities will not exist, which of course means that juniors will have to use the bushes as toilets. Will the Neighbourhood Services designate "boy" and "girl" bushes?

Clubs are encouraged to state a preference for alternate facilities, but having done so we must now wait until all other clubs have been given the chance to submit their preference to then decide what is available.

Finally, what is being overlooked in the rush to save the taxpayer money is that the service provided until now is for those same taxpayers who use the facilities and live within the area for which they pay council tax.

The sports pavilions were built to provide a facility for sport to be played within the community; taking it away from the community reduces that "Neighbourhood" and the "Service" provided.

Brian Smith

Loxwood Park Rangers FC