Sports clubs face major rise in costs
SPORTS clubs in Bridgend will have to pay five times the amount they currently are from September 2020, under plans due to be finalised next week.
Currently the local authority charges clubs around £55 every time they play rugby or football and use a sports pavilion.
From next September, they will have to pay £305 every time if Bridgend County Borough Council’s cabinet approves the plans on Tuesday.
A county councillor has previously warned the rise could see some clubs having to pay more than £40,000 a year if they want to continue to use outdoor facilities, based on the number of teams they have, and there being 30 weekends in a season.
Pitch and pavilion fees for mini football will increase from £30 on each occasion to £150.
Cricket clubs who use council-run facilities will be charged £27,500 every season. And bowls clubs will be charged £23,000 a year for use of the green and pavilion.
A number of bowls clubs already have leases for their facilities, but the council have said these will require further review, with current grant arrangements paid to bowling clubs being discontinued and the current green maintenance arrangements included in existing leases being reassessed to ensure the council achieves full cost recovery.
Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) says it can no longer subsidise the facilities, adding the fees it currently charges do not cover the cost associated with providing and maintaining them.
It has been pushing community asset transfers (CAT) as the alternative to clubs paying the hike in fees, employing a CAT officer and providing financial help, but only a few clubs have completed transfers so far. The local authority says the provision of outdoor sports facilities is nonstatutory, and its plans will enable scarce resources to be directed towards those areas that are a statutory duty.
In a report going before Bridgend council’s cabinet on Tuesday, officers state: “In the event that sports clubs or community groups are unable to undertake a CAT then the proposed increased fee levels would apply.
“These fee charges reflect typical annual maintenance and running costs for both playing fields and pavilions.
“However, these would need to be tailored by the anticipated usage of individual clubs and organisations.
“However, the figures and activities offer a reasonable guide to current expenditure against current levels of subsidy.”
They add: “If this proved unsustainable for the respective sports club or community group then it may be the case that another user may wish to take advantage of the offer by providing similar or alternative usage of the facility.
“Failing this, in the case of a playing field the management of the area would change from that of a playing field to one of general recreational use.”
The council currently oversees 39 playing fields and 40 pavilions, the majority of which are in a poor state of repair.
Many of the facilities are shared by a number of clubs and community groups as well as being accessible on an informal basis to the wider community.
The council has to cut around £520,000 from its budget for outdoor facilities over the next 18 months.
It says its cost-cutting plans are an attempt to protect the long term viability of sports provision and recreation within local communities.
Over the past four years the council has made cuts of £27m, and it is facing having to make an extra £35m savings by 2023.