New delay on track funding (From Winsford Guardian)

New delay on track funding

10:00am Thursday 12th June 2008

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ATHLETES may have to wait another year for a new track in Winsford.

Councillors are unlikely to pledge enough public cash to spend on a first class facility before the town is run by a new local authority from next April.

“That could be the case,” said Chris Bottomley, leisure chief for Vale Royal Borough Council.

“Our advice is that major capital schemes must be referred to the shadow authority.”

However there is only a slim chance that any decision on major developments will be taken until the new body, Cheshire West and Chester, does its own audit of leisure provision.

Up to £200,000 may need to come from the public purse to help pay for an upgrade to the existing track at Winsford’s Knights Grange.

Nothing has been set aside in the borough council’s budget for this year even though most bids require a promise of match funding from the local authority to be successful.

“It may be that we go to the executive group with £400,000 pledged and needing half that amount to complete the work,” added Mr Bottomley.

“Then it is up to them what they do.” Sport England will give it’s verdict on a grant application to cover a third of the total cost by the end of this month.

Before then a planning application for a new track will be submitted in time to go before members of Vale Royal’s planning committee in July.

It has been drafted by Scottish experts Sports Labs Limited, whose next task will be to launch a search for a builder.

“It’s coming up to crunch time,” said Harry Evans, chairman of Vale Royal Athletics Club.

“All along money has been the main worry and that’s still the case now. It makes you impatient but we’ve done pretty much all we can.”

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