Fees introduced on boules court and speedway track in Filton

“OK, so I am not local to you guys, and I am a petanque player, so that's my declaration of interest in this.

Seems to me that the charges are exhorbitant and certainly not in line with the rest fo the centre where the charges are per court/pitch. Petanque is a game played most commonly in triples, i.e. 6 people play at a time, on an area approximately 1/8 of a tennis court of gravel to dust. The maintenance costs are almost nothing, the need for changing rooms and shower facilities are negligible and the time to play a game is from 45mins to 2 hours. At a cost of "at least" £4.20 per 2 hours it is going to cost players who want to practice in their triples prior to competing in events £25.20, and that is for 6 players using 1/8 of the space fo a tennis court. By comparison, 2 hours of doubles tennis would cost £14.10, take up 8 times as much space, have a much greater need of the changing rooms, showers and of course running costs for new nets, repairs to the fences etc. Don't get me started on the football side of things, showers, their own changing rooms in most centres, at least 22 people on the pitch, 2 hours booking time, need for regular maintenance of the grass/lines, drainage costs, specific age group provision, gender bias in spending of council monies, regular repairs to goal posts, and in my area the cost of pitch hire? £31 per game, or £51 with the changing rooms. For the pitch itself less than £1.50 per hour. Only for the players to go off dow totheir sponsoring pub afterwards spending little if any extra cash for refreshments. Now unlike the proposed petanque charges, if you go on the pitch outside of an official match for a practice with your mates you don't get charged, I imagine the Leisure centre is the same there, do they chase after people having a knockabout and demand payment? Or do they only charge for competitive matches?

To me this is a terribly miscalculated money making exercise. Tennis, Badminton, Netball, Squash, Football, all of them are beign provided by the council, probably at a lower charge to the end user than can be found eslewhere as a public facility for the use of the community. Some of these sports require a level of fitness excluding the older generations, an age limitation excluding the younger generations, and are gender biased leaning to one or other gender. They will all have a higher costs to the council than petanque.

Petanque on the other hand is age (7 and over at my club, with a large numebr of pensioners who get out th ehouse twice a week into the open air and this is their only outside activity) gender and to most extents diability neutral (it was actually created so that a guy who lost a foot could play) has low running costs, and most importantly in this calculation, is free to play in pretty much any location. Providing a public facility that costs more to use than private facilities is not what any council is there to do.

I suggest that Councillor Teml, unless wishing to appear a hypocrite, lobbies for charges for the tennis courts to be raised to slightly higher than those charged at private clubs, along with every other facility. Either that or people need to get their head around the concept that public facilities are there to provide greater access to sports and leisure activiites, not to make money by charging more than the market rate for activities. I forsee a future where instead of petanque terrains there are rectangles of weeds with no one playing. Anyway that's a few thoughts for people to consider.”

“Ray, you should have seen his face at the council meeting when councillor Rikki Teml told off Hutchinson for laughing at him from the public gallery, during debates and sniggering too. So unprofessional of a serving labour councillor who has fought with every breath in his body against charging for his two sports. I dont know why any other labour councillors associate themselves with his underhand tactics, they must be desparate.”

“How lovely to see our two serving councillor friends, Chubb and Hutchinson enjoying a final free game of boules last night and spending so much money in the bar of the Ratepayers Arms opposite. Shameful that councillor Chubb voted against charging however was defeated by all other councillors.
Just what will Filton council do when he and his team leave Filton as he stated, now that charges are to be introduced?
Cllr Hutchinson has also been giving advise on how to avoid paying cycle track charges too on his website page. naughty councillor, anyone would think he breaks the rules! See link.
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When will South Glos Labour suspend this councillor and ultimately remove him from the Labour party! He does nothing for the reputation of Labour or South Glos council constantly bringing them into disrepute!”

“Roger hutcinson”

“Does this mean that the Ratepayers arms will now lose all those thristy boule playing drinkers? Oh no, this must mean the council going bankrupt!
Time to put your hand in your pocket and pay up....”

“Well done to all, and a special thank you must go to conservative councillor Teml who was able to put Cllr Hutchinson in his place . At long last we have someone who is not afraid to stand up to Hutchinson and supports the residents not himself”

“When will Hutchinson learn? Honestly, "lots of kids use the track for free" Its empty all the time councillor! You are disillusioned and happy to spout ill truths all the time to try and reinforce your master plan.
After this latest performance, its surely time for you to resign from office as its clear you are against the people of Filton, which was clear by the constant smirking you did at residents and councillors at the meeting.
Well done to councillor Teml for putting Hutchinson in his place as his disrespectful attitude, is a disgrace to the Labour party and people of Filton!”

“now all thats left is to vote out hutchinson after such disgraceful behaviour.”

“A Victory for residents who wanted to see fair charging across the board. Many Thanks to councillors who applied common sense and the leisure centre manager for her persistence.

It means now that any lording it up by councillors supporting either club, will come at a price, a fair price.

To South Glos Labour councillor for Filton Mr Hutchinson, I would say this: For many years you have used your position to influence what you can for your clubs rather than fairness for filton taxpayers and now the game is up. Time would be better spent on the transport and planning issue for Filton, so they dont come as a shock....

To Councillor Chubb, many were shocked at the fact that you were the only councillor to vote against the charging, when you have already expressed a personal interest in (boules).
As you would have stood to gain financially by keeping boules free, it is in fact a prejudicial interest and you should not have voted according to the rules. Whoever is advising you, is giving bad advice. It was therefore unclear whether you were voting on behalf of residents (who wanted charges) or your self interest as you did not make it clear.

Power to the People!”

“At Last !! As a footballer i am sick of seeing the groundsman working on the cycle track and the boules court ,yet they pay nothing .While the football pitches are left to rot .”