We always welcome letters from readers. Treasurer of West Wight Sports Centre Trust, Mr French, shares his views on the proposed spend of £2.5m by the Isle of Wight council on leisure facilities during a time of austerity. Ed
Dear Editor
As Treasurer of West Wight Sports Centre Trust Ltd, a charity offering first class sports services on a shoestring in a deprived West Wight, I was astounded to read of Council plans to spend £2.5 million pounds of taxpayers money on The Heights leisure centre in East Wight.
How on earth can this be justified in such difficult financial times? Where on earth does this money come from? How on earth did anyone on the Council’s diminished staff have time to concoct and price such a plan? How do they think we feel to read such a story?
Funding from 2012/13 uncertain
Our Charity was most pleased to hear that the Council will support us in this current year as last year with a grant of £102,800 but it says it cannot confirm funding for 2012/13 onwards. This Grant is some one seventh per person of the councils costs for Medina and The Heights.
We need some £150,000 of grants and donations a year to survive and any shortfall is met by donations and other grants. If such support ceases next year we will have to close. But we won’t close because there is a lot of goodwill out there and there will be a rally to our support. But we do need to start this process now. (As part of this we have started a ‘Users Group’ which has already organised a ‘Solent Swim’ and other activities).
Lack of consultation
Last week’s article included more than a hint of suggestions that The Heights users and local residents had not had a lot of input into the plans now mooted nor thought now was the right time to carry out such a project. All credit to them.
To ensure their complete involvement as well as proper financial accountability would it not be a good idea for the council to pass The Heights to a charitable Trust and require it to be run by it’s users. It will need to finance it for a while by grant at a similar amount to the current annual cost and then let the users decide what they want and can afford to do.
Let them raise additional funds by application to the Council or from the private sector if they need to and can, like we have to. A similar approach could be applied to Medina in Newport.
Then the £2,500,000 should be apportioned on a needs basis between all three centres to ensure longevity of all our sports and leisure facilities.
W J L French
