The Ralston ‘land grab’ battle is on
The battle for Ralston Community Sports Centre has begun. There can be only one winner.
On one side is Kelburne Hockey Club, which is seeking to take control of the publicly-owned venue in Penilee Road.
On the other are local footballers, gym users and local-run classes who oppose this prized community asset being taken over by a private club.
I have no quarrel with Kelburne, a dynamic and much-loved club founded in 1969 and with over 300 members.
Many of its players represent Scotland and no one can doubt their desire to secure what they call a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for a permanent HQ.
But that cannot come at the cost of the community losing this venue.
The club is trying to raise £75,000 towards its intended community asset transfer, which would cost an estimated £600,000 to complete.
If successful, the full-sized football pitch, comprising three 7-a-side pitches, would be replaced by a synthetic hockey pitch.
As a private venue, Kelburne would then be entitled to padlock the doors to non-members.
Ralston is run by Renfrewshire Leisure (RL), which was created by Renfrewshire Council 18 years ago to run its sports, arts and entertainment facilities.
This arms-length council body says it is “passionate about the part we play in improving life-long physical and mental health”.
It claims to provide “a range of affordable, accessible and ambitious services that are open to all and that improve personal, social and economic outcomes”.
We know the importance of keeping active — never more so than during 18 months of severe Covid restrictions.
But if RL agrees to hand over Ralston’s keys to a private club, the noble sentiments on its website will be as hollow as the surname of their chief executive, Victoria Hollows.
Most folk don’t take much interest in the opaque world of council funding, but the numbers can be interesting and revealing.
RL last year received more then £10million of your council tax. Its annual wage bill reached almost £13.5m.
It operates in a tough financial climate, made worse by the pandemic.
However, covid is not the sole reason why councils are forced to dream up ever more drastic ways to cut costs — such as offloading crown jewel sports centres.
Between 2013 and 2020, the amount of money the SNP government in Edinburgh provided to Scotland’s 32 councils fell by £276m in real terms.
Yet Scottish Government official figures show that Scotland last year generated £62.8billion in revenues while being able to spend £99.2bn.
This — inarguably — is thanks to Scotland being part of a strong UK which shares and pools resources. It has protected Scottish jobs and our NHS.
But while record sums of public cash reach Nicola Sturgeon’s Bute House piggy bank, councils don’t always get their fair share.
The Scottish Conservatives attempted to enshrine fair council funding in law, but our plan was opposed by the SNP.
Councillor Neill Graham, Scottish Conservative group leader on Renfrewshire Council, has been inundated with concerns about the Ralston “land grab” and a public meeting will take place on Monday evening.
If the SNP and Labour are serious about protecting public assets and encouraging active lifestyles, they must back Councillor Graeme and his Tory colleagues.