Row after Yarm play area scheme is cancelled (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Row after Yarm play area scheme is cancelled
2:48pm Friday 15th March 2013 in News
A ROW has broken out over the cancellation of a new play area for Yarm.
About £50,000 was secured from the Government for new play equipment for Leven Park - which has been bought - but now the park maintenance budget of £8,000 has been cut.
That means that the new play area will not go ahead, although the play equipment will still be used at a number of locations in the Yarm area.
Yarm Residents' Association has criticised Yarm's borough councillors, Mark Chatburn and Andrew Sherris for agreeing to the cut.
In a missive published online, Martin Kenefec, residents' association chairman, said: "I think these two individuals should be ashamed of themselves.
"Work on the play park was undertaken with children from Levendale Primary School and the decision to move forward was taken in consultation with them, Stockton Council's cabinet member for arts, leisure and culture and Yarm Town Council.
"Even the borough council's play partnership supports this scheme.
"They've taken this decision without consulting their colleagues."
In response, Coun Chatburn and Coun Sherris, who discussed the issue at Yarm Town Council, have written a letter.
In it, they explain that £50,000 was secured from the Government and a further £25,000 was earmarked from the councillors' own budgets.
However, Stockton Council has informed the pair there simply is no money to maintain the park equipment or monitor the area. In addition, neither the police nor the council's enforcement officers would support the new park area scheme without CCTV surveillance.
In the letter, the two councillors said: "We share the concerns of many residents that Yarm suffers from a longstanding shortage of leisure facilities, particularly for the town's youngsters.
"However, it is essential that not only do we deliver something to the very highest standard but there must be a realistic expectation that it could maintained long term to the same high standard.
"Unfortunately, it is painfully apparent that this is no longer a possibility.
"It is therefore with regret that ward councillors have made the difficult decision to agree with Stockton Council's recommendation that the scheme does not proceed."
Councillor Bob Cook, leader of Stockton Council, explained the council will have taken a £51m cut in Government funding by 2016 and the authority is beginning to look at ways to make £17.8m in savings in the medium term.
"Departments were reluctant to take on new spending, " he said.
Comments(2)
bingbong
says...
8:16pm Fri 15 Mar 13
st-george1 wrote:Do you actually look at facts or do you just spout anything comes into your head? I could list numerous other councils here that are either Tory run or in the south (or both!) that have cut back on frontline services, but I can't be bothered because I suspect the FACTS would be lost on you. Of course, it's only northern, Labour run councils that cutting back on services, silly me.
Is it really any wonder things are getting tougher in Labourland where our councils offer less compared to some of the more competent southern councils with as much depravation … so what will this over-staffed council and the local law-enforcers do with all the extra money they forced out of the taxpayers in DEFIANCE of the of the Government request to freeze council taxes !
Until the new Archbishop of Canterbury and his un-elected House of Lords friends turn his Lambeth Palace home into a publicly supervised hostel and play area for the homeless and sell all that gold, silver and land that the Church owns to subsidise the poor … then I MIGHT LISTEN TO THEM !
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Oh, and it's not just Labour councils that "forced extra money out of the taxpayers in DEFIANCE of the government". But don't let the facts get in the way of making your point.
st-george1 says...
5:00pm Fri 15 Mar 13
Until the new Archbishop of Canterbury and his un-elected House of Lords friends turn his Lambeth Palace home into a publicly supervised hostel and play area for the homeless and sell all that gold, silver and land that the Church owns to subsidise the poor … then I MIGHT LISTEN TO THEM !