£70,000 spent on reparing Ivybridge football pitches.
The Hounslow Guardian newspaper reports that £70,000 of SOMEONE'S money has been used to renovate facilities that had fallen into disrepair and vandalised.Once this kind of money is spent..and its a big pile..who is responsible for the upkeep so that it doesn't fall into neglect again.And...could the job have been done for £60,000? Who makes the dosh out of such projects? Are the contracters in some sort of cartel? Who checks? Are there financial controls?These are the nitty gritty matters that ratepayers want to be assured about...even if a whistleblowing website has to be set up!You know that some authorities aren't good at keeping things tidy and in good repair. From the Guardian..by Estelle MaraisThe launch of a £70,000 project to create new football pitches at the Ivybridge Estate has finally brought sport to the heart of the community.Two five-a-side football pitches, which can double as basketball courts, were officially opened at the estate on Thursday, January 26.The project was the joint idea of the residents' association and Hounslow Homes' Ivybridge Neighbourhood Team in the hope that it would combat antisocial behaviour and encourage respect in communities by providing activities and facilities for younger people.The original sports park on the estate had become an eyesore and was synonymous with vandalism due to its dilapidated state.Tina Howe, chairman of the New Ivybridge Tenants' Association said: "It's great that the kids now have somewhere decent to play."The old football pitches were very run down and were a real eyesore. No one ever used them because they were in such a bad state."Now the local kids have decent facilities, hopefully there won't be as many problems with boredom and kids getting into trouble because they haven't got anything to do."This is a great first step in improving sports facilities at Ivybridge and we are already involved in plans to improve other play areas around the estate."Work started on renovation in November last year, and neighbouring residents were consulted.They were able to choose the colour and the layout of the new pitches, and key design features to improve security.The new facilities will also be used for the street soccer programme organised by Hounslow Homes, which provides youngsters access to professional football coaching from Brentford Football Club."""Any observations?
Jim Lawes ● 7038d28 Comments