PIRTON PARISH COUNCIL
A Parish Meeting to discuss the use of the Recreation
Ground was held on Wednesday 5 March 2003 in Pirton School Hall.
Present: Mrs Rosie Hamilton McLeod, Mrs Sally Lake,
Mr David Saunders and Mrs Diane Bailey (Clerk).
Apologies for Absence: Mrs Juliet Alexander, Mr
Owain Lister (arrived later in the meeting), Mr Rodney Marshall, Mrs Pam Waters.
Also Present: Mr P Bidgood, Mr J Charlesworth, Mr A
Dec, Mr P Diaz, Mr J Glennon, Mr L Goddard, Mr M Goddard, Mr G Hyde, Mr K Lee
(Lea Sports), Mr G Low, Mrs L Low, Mr M Patten, Mr A Quelch, Mr S Smith, Mrs J
Stimson, Mr J Wild.
Mr David Saunders, Vice Chairman of the Parish Council,
chaired the meeting.
The Parish Meeting had been called by ten parishioners to
“discuss usage of our village Recreation Ground”. This group of parishioners
were members of a group of residents of all ages who enjoy a casual game of
football on Sunday mornings but have found it increasingly difficult to find an
area to play since the building of the MUGA and were now seeking a solution to
the problem by calling a meeting of the Parish Council.
Mr Saunders welcomed everyone to the meeting and sought
reassurance that, despite being a member of the Sports & Social Club committee,
everyone present was happy that he chair the meeting. Mr Saunders requested that
everyone wishing to speak at the meeting, should do so through the Chair and
went on to explain how the discussions would be conducted.
PARISH COUNCIL STATEMENT
In the first instance Mr Saunders called on Mrs Hamilton
McLeod on behalf of the Parish Council to outline the legal position regarding
the running of the Recreation Ground and its facilities.
Mrs Hamilton McLeod explained that in 1995 a legal
Licence had been signed between the Parish Council and Sports & Social Club
committee which handed over the running of the Recreation Ground and its
buildings to the PSSC committee. In so doing the PSSC was given the power to
organise sports and recreational activities and to enter into contracts with
sporting bodies. From the outset PSSC entered into a contract with LEA Sports to
play organised team football and this contract is still ongoing subject to
annual reviews. There is no restriction on whether organisations are Pirton
based or from outside the parish.
Pirton residents have free access to the Recreation
Ground, but there is no right to usage which overrides any contractual
commitments made by the PSSC. There is an obligation for the PSSC to act in a
reasonable way and provided the activities at the Recreation Ground are carried
out fairly, there is no case for the Parish Council to get involved.
PRIMARY STATEMENTS
Mr Jim Glennon, one of the parishioners who had
called the meeting, was then asked to address the meeting. Mr Glennon stated
that as residents they felt that an area of the playing field should be set
aside for use of the parishioners at all times. He felt it was unfair that all
the football pitches were let out to organisations outside the village leaving
nowhere for residents to play. Although correspondence had taken place with the
PSSC committee, he had not been hopeful of a satisfactory conclusion and so had
called the meeting with the Parish Council.
In response, Mrs Hamilton McLeod pointed out that under
the terms of the Licence, any solution must be forthcoming from the PSSC and not
from the Parish Council. She also reiterated that there was no legal right to
prime time usage of the Recreation Ground by residents.
Mr Joe Charlesworth, Chairman of the PSSC
committee, was then asked to address the meeting. Mr Charlesworth acknowledged
that a problem had arisen since the building of the MUGA which had taken up
previously available space. He stated that the committee had tried to answer the
points raised by the group of parishioners within the terms of the Licence but
because of their current contractual commitments to Lea Sports, no acceptable
solution had been found. The committee had no wish to sever their longstanding
relationship with Lea Sports and were renegotiating the contract for next season
with the hope of seeking a solution which would accommodate all parties.
Although not a resident of the parish, Mr Saunders called
on Mr Keith Lee, Chairman of Lea Sports, to address the meeting. Mr Lee
recognised that villagers wanted to enjoy a casual game of football and in the
past had willingly provided equipment for their use and indeed enjoyed friendly
matches with them. Relations had become fraught with the building of the MUGA
and the subsequent reduction in space available. Lea Sports had offered the
parishioners an opportunity to join their organisation in an attempt to find a
slot on the fixture list, but this offer had been rejected. The current
structure of Lea Sports Football Club is dependant on having three pitches
available and to restrict their usage to two pitches would have a detrimental
effect on the development of the club. However, Mr Lee was willing to seek a
solution to the problem and felt that a rearrangement of the pitches at the end
of the season may produce an area of free space.
Mr Lee was also aware of concerns regarding parking
spilling out onto Walnut Tree Road and felt that the car parking area within the
Recreation Ground could be extended to relieve this problem.
Mr Pato Diaz, a parishioner and casual footballer,
was then asked to give his point of view. Mr Diaz felt that since losing their
pitch to the MUGA, the PSSC had been uninterested in finding a solution to their
problem. He also felt that it was morally wrong that an outside organisation
such as Lea Sports should have priority over parishioners who paid Council Tax
and contributed to the village more than Lea Sports.
Mr Lee responded by stating that a solution during the
current season had not been possible but hoped that by rearranging the pitches
at the start of the next season a compromise could be made.
Mr Peter Bidgood, a longstanding member of the PSSC
committee, was asked by Mr Saunders to address the meeting. Mr Bidgood informed
the meeting that in 1995 when the Licence to manage the Recreation Ground was
handed to the PSSC, the then committee had invited Lea Sports to form the
football section of the club. There had been an amicable relationship ever since
and their financial contribution had helped the PSSC to come through difficult
times. A youth section of Lea Sports had successfully been established by a
resident of Pirton.
At the end of each season, the affiliated cricket and
football sections of the PSSC work together to overcome any difficulties with
fixtures especially since the formation of the Cricket Colts section whose
training area in front of the pavilion overlaps with the football pitches.
Mr Bidgood pointed out that the Recreation Ground was
generally available to the public on 6 days and 22 hours each week without
hindrance and for parishioners to expect to find space at prime time during the
football and cricket season was unreasonable. The MUGA had been in the planning
stages for five years prior to its construction and no objections had been
raised. The MUGA was available for hire during the winter months but this had
not been accepted by the parishioners as a solution to shortage of space on a
Sunday morning who seemed unwilling to compromise.
On an historical note, Mr Bidgood added that the Parish
Council had been shortsighted in failing to purchase the allotments next to the
Recreation Ground when they had come up for auction ten years ago. He also added
that any expansion of the car park area would exacerbate the shortage of playing
area at the Recreation Ground.
SECONDARY STATEMENTS
Having received comments from the main protagonists in the
dispute, Mr Saunders asked for points of view from other parties present.
Mr Michael Goddard requested that an area be made
available for parishioner use at all times but acknowledged that a solution
needed to be worked for.
Mr A Quelch stated that contractual obligations
should be upheld but that a compromise should be sought.
Mr Gary Hyde pointed out that despite being
portrayed as an outside organisation, some villagers do in fact play for Lea
Sports. He also felt that there was sufficient space at the Recreation Ground to
find a solution.
Mr Steve Smith maintained that there had always
been an amicable relationship between Lea Sports, the cricket club and the PSSC.
Lea Sports maintained the pitches on behalf of PSSC and he stressed the
importance of protecting the pitches especially during severe winter weather. He
urged that when Lea Sports considered the pitches unfit for playing,
parishioners should also respect this point of view and not play. As Treasurer
to Lea Sports, Mr Smith confirmed that the use of three pitches was crucial to
the financial viability of the club.
Mr Jonty Wild felt that parishioners were
unreasonable in expecting fixtures and contracts to be changed in the short
term.
Mr Graeme Low was generally disappointed that until
the provision of the MUGA, sport at the Recreation Ground had not been expanded
beyond football and cricket. He felt that the atmosphere at the Recreation
Ground was unwelcoming on a Sunday morning with the domination of the whole area
by football and that there was some problem with bad language.
Mrs Lesley Low stressed the importance of the
financial contribution made by the affiliated clubs to the survival of the PSSC.
Mrs Joy Stimson reiterated an earlier comment that
had the neighbouring allotments been purchased by the Parish Council for tennis
courts as had been proposed in the past, then the current shortage of space at
the Recreation would not be a problem.
Mr Martin Patten felt that discussions throughout
the meeting had indicated that a solution could be found by realigning the
football pitches to create an area of free space.
Mr Andrew Dec complimented the fantastic facilities
at the Recreation Ground especially since the provision of the MUGA. He was
pleased with the positive discussions of the meeting so far and urged that a way
forward be agreed. He felt that by repositioning the layout of the football
pitches a solution could be found.
Mrs Sally Lake informed the meeting that there had
been a thriving football club in the village in the past which had contributed a
great deal to village life. Following its closure, a newly formed PSSC committee
together with help from Lea Sports had taken over the management of the
Recreation Ground and without this commitment sporting facilities in the village
would have ceased to exist.
Mr Bidgood confirmed that following the demise of the old
football club, the then Parish Council had been uninterested in continuing to
provide sporting facilities at the Recreation Ground and that the PSSC committee
had been formed by a group of volunteer parishioners intent of furthering sports
and recreational activities in Pirton. Without this group of volunteers, aided
by the affiliation of Lea Sports to the PSSC, the Recreation Ground would have
ceased to provide any sporting facilities. He added that the importance of the
current affiliation of Lea Sports should not be underestimated and that if they
were forced to move elsewhere because of a restriction to the number of pitches
used by them, the continued success of the PSSC committee and facilities could
be jeopardised.
Mr Owain Lister, Chairman of the Parish Council,
joined the meeting and added his tribute to the excellent facilities enjoyed at
the Recreation Ground through the continued hard work of the PSSC committee
aided by Lea Sports. He acknowledged that the current problems had been created
by the construction of the MUGA and urged all parties to seek a compromise. He
added that parking in Walnut Tree Road had caused concern outside the remit of
the Licence which had been brought to the Parish Council’s attention.
As everyone present at the meeting had been given an
opportunity to put forward their point of view, Mr Saunders called for a break
of five minutes before continuing the meeting.
GENERAL DISCUSSION
Mr Saunders recommenced the meeting by summarising the
proceedings to date and concluded that the word ‘compromise’ had been mentioned
many times during the meeting so far and that this was hopefully the way
forward.
General points during the general discussion can be
summarised as follows:-
The group of parishioners requesting an area of the
Recreation Ground to be kept permanently available are not affiliated to the
PSSC which makes negotiations more difficult.
The number of occasions when there is no available space
for casual users amounts to no more than five or six times each year.
A vote by the meeting to agree a way forward has no legal
status but merely states the majority view of those present at the meeting. The
Parish Council has no duty to follow the wishes of the meeting and therefore a
conclusion to the discussions rather than a resolution was urged.
The Parish Council is aware of the current problems and
under terms set out in the Licence with the PSSC would wish to be kept informed
of progress.
The original letter of contract between the PSSC and Lea
Sports does not specify the number of pitches which are available for use by Lea
Sports. Negotiations are currently in progress to update the terms of the
contract.
Mr Lee was disappointed that Lea Sports are still
considered an outside organisation despite their long term association with the
PSSC. There is a proposal for Lea Sports to change their name to Pirton Football
Club as an indication of their commitment.
Mr Lee also felt that a realignment of the pitches would
solve the problem and create an area of free space. Confirmation of this
solution would be subject to pegging out a new proposed layout.
The parishioners calling the meeting must accept that any
area set aside is not for their sole use on a Sunday morning and that again
compromise with other parishioners is necessary.
The football pitches at Pirton Recreation Ground were
generally considered to be some of the best in the area and it was acknowledged
that this was due in some measure to the level of maintenance carried out by Lea
Sports on behalf of the PSSC.
Mr Smith asked that parishioners observe any
recommendations from Lea Sports not to use the pitches in severe weather. Mrs
Hamilton McLeod pointed out that any such request should be issued by PSSC and
not Lea Sports, and that any recommendation to restrict use of the pitches by
the PSSC in these circumstances would be right and reasonable but not
enforceable.
CONCLUSION
Mr Saunders concluded the general consensus of the meeting
as follows:
At the end of the football season the PSSC, in conjunction
with Lea Sports, will attempt to make an area available for general use by
realigning the current football pitches. The Parish Council would wish to be
kept informed of progress on this matter and to comment on the proposed new
contract between Lea Sports and PSSC.
Under the terms of the Licence the PSSC will confirm the
conclusion of this meeting to the Parish Council, who will in turn copy the
letter to the parishioners calling the meeting.
In due course, an article will be placed in the Parish
Magazine confirming the provision of an area at the Recreation Ground for the
use of parishioners.
Pirton