If a story is too good to be true, beware! Treat it with caution.
Dear Sir,
With reference to Cllr. Chandran’s letter, which I read on 1st April
(April Fool’s Day) he refers to a phenomenal increase in income at the Oak Leaf Sports Centre, of 157% between the financial years 2020/2021 and 2022/2023 which is correct.
Unfortunately, he has not taken into consideration that during 2020/2021, as many readers will remember, we were in lockdown due to Covid and the Sports Complex was closed for about six months. Initially, after Lockdown, normal trade was slow to pick up.
Cllr. Chandran is comparing income, when the centre was only open 6 months with when the centre was open for a year. This is a misinterpretation of the situation at the time. In addition to this he is unable to claim anything about the net expenditure in 2020/2021.
It is unfair to compare income and expenditure during and after Lockdown. During Lockdown the majority of staffing costs were paid by the Government in its furlough scheme. Electricity and lighting costs were much lower and bar stock was not purchased during the six months of closure.
The letter claims that the Council will look to be, at all times, cost effective. In setting this year’s budget and precept the Council raised your Council Tax by 7.5%. It predicted a revenue expenditure on the Sports Complex of £414,000 but also another £98,000 on capital spend for maintenance of the building and its equipment. The net spend is predicted to be £512,000. This is approximately 30% of the total Council expenditure for the year. To put this simply, out of every £3 Council Tax that you pay, £1 is spent on the Sports Complex.
This may be good value for money if you are a regular user of the Centre but, for the majority of people in Newton Aycliffe, what do you think?
The title of the letter states “We will not slash Council services and facilities.” In uncertain times it is impossible to predict future costs of Council services. These costs come from out of your pocket. If the services or facilities become financially prohibitive, who will bare the cost? You, unless we cut them!
Independent Cllr. Bob Fleming