or foul for bowls?
Fair wind Beach House Park in Worthing
community and private club use. “The Hoe bowling green is an immensely popular and well-used site, and one that has long been at the hearts of many players in the city,” the spokesperson said. “The council is simply looking at ways to ensure the bowling green's future for everyone, but a potential transfer of the lease has yet to be discussed.” Community transfer may prove the saviour for bowls in Plymouth, and the same looks true in the North-East, where the sterling work of one local bowls association has recently come to the aid of six of Darlington’s greens, resulting in the borough council’s commitment to overcome budget cuts and inject vital funds to help continue the sites’ livelihood. Newly-formed Darlington Bowling Association (DBA) has struck a deal with local councillors and officers to counter spending cuts that had put the crown greens under risk of closure. Members of the town’s bowling community met before Christmas with council figures, including deputy leader Cllr Bill Dixon, Head of Street Scene Brian Graham, and Cllr Mark Burton, whose ward includes some of the
threatened greens, to discuss the future of the sport.
Eighty of the town’s bowls players attended the meeting at Rolling Mills Club, which saw some of the senior figures from the sport in the town forming the association. The long-term future of the greens is still said to remain in doubt, but the formation of the DBA and successful lobbying of the council has brought a reprieve for them.
A combination of an increase in bowling fees, and a £5,000 donation from Darlington Primary Care Trust, has helped ensure that six public greens - four from the threatened list - remain open. “In principle, all six greens will be kept open for the coming season,” explained DBA chairman Malcolm Cundick. “That gives us this season to fully assess the situation and take a more proactive role with the greens and with the parks department. These changes are vital for the future of bowling in our town,” he added. “But, they come at a price to players.”
The planned cuts to the four greens formed part of Darlington Borough
Council’s wider spending review to save £30,000 from the Street Scene budget as part of proposals to slash £22m from its budget by 2014. “Our budget proposals do include the potential closure of a number of bowling greens,” Cllr Dixon said, “but, we have been able to secure a one-off sum of external funding - alongside an agreement that members of the club will pay double fees.”
These two actions would extend the time available to club members to find new ways of funding and running the clubs, “independent of council funding,” he concluded.
Some authorities have seen the writing on the wall and acted before they were forced into taking emergency measures. Rhondda Cynon Taff county borough, for example, took pre-emptive action last year when it introduced self-management of all but six greens and facilities. The council runs twenty-eight bowling
greens and several bowls leagues use the sites, “predominantly, the middle to elderly age range,” notes Parks Operations Manager, Martin Sullivan. “Clubs vary in how they market themselves, and some are active in
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