Council ‘waives fees for outdoor sports facilities’
Clubs won’t be charged for this season:
SPORTS clubs in Bridgend no longer have to pay fees to use outdoor sports facilities for the 2019-20 season after the local authority waived the charges.
Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) has cancelled the fees in response to the financial pressures on local sports clubs caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Chairman of Porthcawl Athletic Association John Edwards said waiving the fees “will help the situation” for sports clubs in the area.
“It is a difficult time,” he said. “We are grateful for any help.”
Cabinet member for communities Richard Young said: “We decided some time ago not to impose sports club charges for the March to May 2020 period, but recently added the period September 2019 to February 2020 as well.
“This is because of the way in which the pandemic has greatly reduced income streams at local clubs.
“The council understands that some are struggling financially, and we want do to do what we can to support them while lockdown is still in effect.
“The waiver of hire charges will automatically improve the cash flow of individual sports clubs as it is one less bill that they no longer have to pay.”
Norah Clarke, Independent Alliance Group Leader, said: “As sports clubs have been and are unable to use their facilities due to the pandemic I definitely believe that the decision taken by BCBC administration to waive the fees has certainly been the right one.
“I think in the short term waiving the fees will help clubs in a small way but there must be a huge concern within clubs how they organise themselves going forward.”
The decision to waive the fees comes less than a year after the council increased fees for sports clubs by 500 per cent in October 2019, which caused upset among residents.
Mr Edwards said the high fees introduced by the council last year prompted Porthcawl Town Athletic FC to apply for a community asset transfer (CAT), which would see the club taking on the costs of its own pitch maintenance and other facilities.
He added that the club was not satisfied with the pitch maintenance provided by the council.
“In recent times the amount of work that has been cut down on the pitches has caused them to deteriorate,” he said.
“[The council] has had cutbacks, we understand that and therefore it is only able to offer us a limited service to what we have been used to in the past.”
Commenting on the increase in fees last year, Cllr Young said: “There was understandable anger at claims the council was simply increasing fees for sports clubs.
“But what got lost in all of that and what we were actually saying was that after a decade of austerity and reduced funding from central Government, the council could no longer afford to subsidise these facilities, which in some cases was by as much as 80 per cent.”
Many local clubs have shown interest in CATs, according to Cllr Young.
“I’m happy to say that within just a few short months, all playing fields are now subject to formal expressions of interest from sports clubs or town and community councils, and asset transfers are at various stages of development.
“As a result, no club is expected to have to meet the full unsubsidised costs of using local facilities, and the facilities themselves will remain available for community use.
“While coronavirus has had an undeniable impact upon the asset transfer process, it remains ongoing and we are continuing to work with clubs and town and community councils throughout the pandemic.”
There are around 60 clubs and 530 teams in the county borough.
Mr Edwards said he is confident that Porthcawl Town Athletic FC will continue to thrive despite the financial constraints of the pandemic.
“The club has been well-managed. I think we are well-placed actually compared with a lot of clubs.”
In April, the council also offered sports clubs a grant of up to £1,000 to help with the day-to-day operating costs during the pandemic.
Clubs which applied for those grants will be told the outcome of their applications in early June.