Councillor hits back after lack of parks claim
A COUNCILLOR has hit back after criticism that some west Stockton suburbs are lacking in parks.
Stockton South MP Matt Vickers and Hartburn councillor Niall Innes aimed fire on Stockton Council for a dearth of play facilities in Hartburn, parts of Fairfield, and some stretches of Elm Tree earlier this month.
Cllr Innes said it was “bizarre” that Hartburn and Fairfield “only had a single slide between them” – after a petition last year calling for more facilities gathered more than 700 signatures.
In response, council chiefs said they were looking at new facilities across the borough within cost constraints – including in parts of Billingham, Norton and the west of Stockton. But the intervention has sparked Grangefield councillor Carol Clark to speak up – pointing to the number of facilities in her ward brought with the help of charity grants, special allowances, and help from other bodies with her late husband, Michael.
The Labour member said: “We decided to make Grangefield Park a place to spend time in and enjoy as it had become a walk-through with no play equipment at all. We also said that any special responsibility allowance (SRA) money that we received for being chair or vice chair would be used for the ward.”
SRA are payments given to councillors for leading and deputising on committees. This year the sums come to £6,250 for a chair and £3,125 for a vice-chair.
Cllr Clark said a grant from the Impetus Environmental Trust – the charity associated with haulage giant Scott Brothers – helped bring a multi-use games area off Grangefield Road.
She added: “We then applied for a grant from public health for a running track and exercise stations as we had one of the highest levels of obese 11-year-olds in the area.
“We set up the Green Project – a constituted group to be able to raise grants for the area and we used this to plant lots of fruit trees from 2012.
“There are apples, pears and plums in our orchard.”
Play equipment for younger children, a wheelchair accessible picnic table and a youth shelter near the MUGA were also cited. Cllr Clark added: “Our whole idea was that the council did not have surplus
funds for this use – but we were perfectly capable of getting grants and other funds ourselves, so we did.
“They’re talking about Fairfield and Hartburn but the council didn’t have the money then so we got about raising the money ourselves.
“There’s no point blaming the council saying they should be doing it – there is so much you can do yourself.” Earlier this month, Mr Vickers said play equipment provision in Fairfield and Hartburn was “not good enough”.