“We may be witnessing the quiet demise of another national treasure, with barely a whimper heard”
Bowling clubs are on a knife-edge of survival, with tales of closures and mergers all too frequent over the last decade. So, is the sport tailor-made for the Coalition’s ‘Big Society’ vision?
Report by Tom James O
n the face of it, the prospects for what, some say, is nothing less than a British institution, look bleak - ones made all the more calamitous by the
predicted impact of the biggest council budget cuts in living memory. Detractors say cuts must come somewhere, and they point to an ailing sport characterised by falling numbers of participants and an ageing player profile.
When one of the oldest bowling greens in the country - Plymouth Hoe, the former playground of England’s most famous Elizabethan explorer, Sir Francis Drake - reportedly faced closure earlier this year, fears grew over how long greens provision and clubs themselves could continue in the face of falling income and player numbers. A national media outcry duly followed, which has since died down as the full facts have emerged. However, councils across the UK are facing often painful decisions on how to maintain and fund these sporting green spaces and their pavilions. Yet, bowls presents quite a different challenge than do most sports, in part because of its greater maintenance requirements and 18
the fact that bowls greens can really only be used for this one sport, unlike other multi-use municipal pitches that can cater for football, rugby and general public use.
Plymouth City Council, who maintain
‘The Hoe’ - scene of one of the most dramatic episodes in English history as Drake was told of the advancing Spanish Armada, only to continue with his beloved sporting pastime - have, in fact, taken a course of action favoured by a growing tally of local authorities. They have embraced the Coalition’s ‘Big Society’ vision by offering to transfer the running of their bowling greens (and some public playgrounds) to the local community.
The council currently runs eight
greens at an annual cost of £160,000, but the deep cuts to budgets and resources have forced it to radically rethink current practices in a bid to keep them all open. “There are no plans to remove any bowling greens in the city,” a council spokesperson told Pitchcare. “The proposal to transfer some of the council’s playgrounds and bowling greens to local community ownership is set out in the budget service delivery plans, and is
being considered as part of the focus on ‘Big Society’ and efficiency.” Yet, the details surrounding any transfer, including tenure, costs and services, would have to be worked through and each individual opportunity might have to be “structured differently”. Plymouth’s decision to relinquish
control of its greens is not without precedent. It has already successfully leased several pavilions to local clubs for them to administer. The Hoe was merely a high profile
example that touched Britain’s historical sensitivities. If the reportage brings the plight of bowls to a wider audience, it will have served an important function. Otherwise, we may be witnessing the quiet demise of another national treasure, with barely a whimper heard. The authority had sought guidance elsewhere before taking its decision, the spokesperson added. “Other councils have successfully passed greens over to clubs who now lease and maintain the greens, so we are keen to discuss this in a planned approach, which considers what’s best for the life of the greens.” The Hoe could form part of this move away from council control to a mix of
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