News

NEWS FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE

BULLETIN 6

PARISH COUNCIL FOOTBALL GROUND PROGRESS UPDATE AND POSITION STATEMENT

The Parish Council is pleased to advise of the completion of the recent grounds maintenance programme and the review of the layout and charging policy.

With the season now underway the Parish Council is experiencing a high demand for ground and particularly the two full size pitches which have been permanently marked out for this season. The Parish Council is concerned about inaccurate and misleading communications which are being circulated in connection with how it has reached the position it is now in and would like to take this opportunity to clarify the work it has undertaken with potential partners during this last year.

During last season and several seasons before, Hawkinge Youth Football Club had considerable involvement with the Parish Council and to a great extent was running the ground with an aim of obtaining grant funding for a large pavilion from_the Football Foundation.

Considerable risks were involved over the sustainability and need for a pavilion with a large community room included within it.

The Council’s internal auditor confirmed that two years audited accounts were required from the Football Club before the Parish Council could even begin to look at involving public money in the scheme.

The Club was not able to produce these accounts.

In order to assist the Club further, the Parish Council offered it a two year lease, which included a clause that the Parish Council would continue to pay for the grounds maintenance, for a peppercorn rent of £10 per annum, giving the Club full control over the ground including the income generated.

This would give the Club the opportunity to provide the two years audited accounts, with a view to a twenty five year lease being granted at the expiration, this being the criteria of the Football Foundation grant funding to be triggered.

The Club gave a letter of intent that it would enter into a Lease and then suddenly changed its mind. This has lead to the changes which are now being implemented and this is the position of the Parish Council for this season.