Dear Sir,
Grannie, “do all fairy tales begin with once upon a time?”
“No darling. There is a whole series of Fairy Tales that begin with “if elected I promise.”
There are currently two By-Elections for the Town Council being contested, hence the sudden appearance of anonymous letters. Remember ‘anonymous’ usually means ‘untruthful’ or ‘deceitful’, hiding their true identity least it becomes obvious what their true motive is.
With regard to the OakLeaf Sports Complex it is worth mentioning a few relevant facts, in 2020/2021 income was £191,610 yet in 2022/2023 this is likely to be £493,775 – just under half a million pounds, an increase of £302,165 or 157% in income. Income will almost certainly increase again next year, thus helping to reduce the net cost. In 2020/2021 the net expenditure cost was £266,098, in 2022/2023 it will be approximately £307,272. An increase in costs net over three years of only £41,174 or 15%. Bearing in mind that gas and electricity costs alone increased by £48,621 over the same period, and staff wages increased by between 8.53% to 10.5%. It is a phenomenal achievement, a dramatic increase in usage, due in no small part to the outstanding Sports Complex Manager and his fantastic staff. All this, despite the Covid situation, is something that most Councillors on Great Aycliffe Town Council are proud of, certainly Independents and Labour.
Sport, particularly team games, helps to encourage the social development of young people and often provides that first instance of teamwork for many kids. All of us who have played sport know about the highs and lows it brings and the character building that comes from those experiences of determination, competitive spirit and overcoming challenges. These experiences help to make our young people more resilient and better able to deal with the rest of their lives. The most disadvantaged communities also tend to be the least active, and they also tend to have the least access to sports facilities. We need to help more people to access facilities and to access sport.
There are some things in life which will never make a profit, but you have to do them if you wish to be considered civilised. Whilst looking at all times to be cost effective, we will not slash Council services and facilities.
Cllr Arun M Chandran (Independent)
Chairman Policy & Resources Committee
Great Aycliffe Town Council