The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Football club hits out over hike in prices
Sport and community groups for children are fearing for their future after Highland Council agreed to hike rental costs for classrooms and pitches.
There are worries that many groups will struggle to continue. Most will be left to simply pass the extra cost on to parents.
As the worst cost of living crisis in recent memory bites, that could see a lot of children withdrawn from extra-curricular activities for financial reasons.
Cradlehall Primary Football Club is one of many that has been hit.
Under the previous agreement, the club was not charged for using an indoor hall and an outdoor astro pitch at nearby Millburn Academy.
That’s because as an Inverness primary school, they were affiliated to the council.
But at a meeting back in March, a proposal to scrap that agreement and design a new structure of charges was agreed by councillors.
That means Cradlehall’s football club – which is open to children from primary two to primary six – is now being hit with a bill for £6,000.
Matt Smith, a coach who is also chairman of the volunteer-led club, said they will ditch their indoor sessions – cutting the bill to £2,000 – and absorb the financial hit for the first term.
Mr Smith said: “These charges are unfair and a detriment to engaging children in physical activity
as there is now a significant cost barrier to entry.
“I feel frustrated because it’s already difficult to get children fully engaged with sport.”
Previously, pupils at Cradlehall paid an annual £30 subscription fee to cover things like strips and insurance. Under the new structure, that figure needs to jump to around £120 – a
four-fold increase – just for the club to break even.
Costs are rising across the board, which Highland Council says will generate an extra £389,000.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said amendments to hire charges were presented to the meeting of the council on March 3, when members discussed the 2022-23
budget, “inclusive of budget savings, charges and income generation”.
She said members were asked to consider “all lets to pay; no free lets or discounts to anyone – unless offset by a payment from ward discretionary budgets and excepting community councils”.
“This was approved at full council,” she said