Question:
We are all aware that Wokingham Borough Council is in a dire financial situation, and is seeking to reduce costs wherever possible. The proposed 3G pitch at Maiden Erlegh School in Earley was priced at £800,000 before recent inflation - to be paid for by the Football Association and the council. Bearing in mind building projects can run seriously over budget, and that the school has perfectly adequate sports facilities for all the pupils on roll both on site and at the nearby Sol Joel playing fields, is it wise to press ahead with the plan - and who will be liable for any shortfall if there are unexpected extra costs?
Minutes:
We are all aware that Wokingham Borough Council is in a dire financial situation, and is seeking to reduce costs wherever possible. The proposed 3G pitch at Maiden Erlegh School in Earley was priced at £800,000 before recent inflation - to be paid for by the Football Association and the Council. Bearing in mind building projects can run seriously over budget, and that the school has perfectly adequate sports facilities for all the pupils on roll both on site and at the nearby Sol Joel playing fields, is it wise to press ahead with the plan - and who will be liable for any shortfall if there are unexpected extra costs?
Answer
The school have advised the Council that the facilities provided for students are at capacity. The existing sand-dressed Astro pitch is considered to not be adequate to accommodate the present volume of students, and if the pitch is unsafe due to freezing in colder conditions, the PE curriculum is affected. The grass fields are also not suitable for PE activities according to the Head of the school and a 3G pitch would have benefits for both the school and local partner football clubs.
The Council did make capital provision for the project and would work in partnership with the Football Foundation to arrive at a point where the Council's contribution and the Foundation’s contribution fully cover the build and unexpected costs.
Whilst officers have been in discussion with the Football Foundation in relation to provision of more community football facilities in the local area, no application has been made as full planning permission would first be required. In turn, a planning application will be contingent upon the outcome of the review that we are in the process of conducting. The review will closely examine the financial viability of the project in the worsening economic circumstances of the Council.
Supplementary Question
Since putting the question, I have read the Council’s financial plan from last February, when the preferred location of the pitch was Laurel Park. In that plan, the Council doubled its potential contribution to £600k. That was before this year’s inflation. Laurel Park would not have needed expensive levelling of the playing field, retaining walls, a complicated drainage tank, noise abatement or so many surveys. So, I can only presume that the figure of £300k from the Council for Maiden Erlegh, as quoted at the consultation evening in September, is wildly optimistic.
Councillor Clive Jones recently said that the cost of the 3G pitch was going up and up and up. Then Councillor Ian Shenton said that the weekly refuse collections were costing too much money to continue. He asked “where are we going to find the money?” I would suggest that you start with the pot for the unnecessary 3G pitch.
So, how much is the Council’s current estimate for the pitch and will it be viewed as the Council squandering money at a time when many people are so desperate that they are turning to food banks, sitting in cold homes, worrying about how to pay the bills, and the Council says it can no longer afford basic services such as weekly bin collections?
Supplementary Answer
Effectively, the Council has two major budgets. One is the Capital budget and one is known as Revenue, which is where the recurring, day-to-day expenses are funded from. The two are not interchangeable. A 3G pitch, whether it is located in Earley or anywhere else, would be funded by Capital, not by Revenue.