Row over move to halt council help for miners’ welfare sites

For decades, football pitches, cricket fields and bowling greens at social clubs linked to former collieries have been maintained at Doncaster Council’s expense, but this agreement is due to stop next year.

Elected mayor Peter Davies said pulling the plug was necessary to meet Government cuts of £71m over the next four years, but Labour councillors have now “called-in” the decision for further examination.

It has been estimated that ending the maintenance could save up to £221,000 a year, and miners’ welfare committees have been told they must pay the council if they want the council to continue its services.

Green spaces bosses have estimated that if all 12 welfares involved stopped using the council for maintenance the equivalent of six full-time posts would be affected by the reduction in working hours.

Mr Davies said the miners’ welfare plans had been included in his cost-cutting budget for this year, which had been supported by the Labour group.

He said: “The Labour councillors voted unanimously for this service removal at the budget debate in February, and I understand Barnsley Council also ended this agreement sometime ago.

“This arrangement appears to have gone on for a number of years and it is completely unjustifiable for us to continue supporting at a time when the council is facing significant financial challenges and spending reductions.

“Other sporting grounds have to pay themselves and it needs to be the responsibility of CISWO (Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation) who own the grounds to provide for their upkeep, not Doncaster’s taxpayers.

“The council is more than prepared to continue to provide this service in the future on a charged for basis, but the days of providing this service for free has to be something of the past.”

Miners’ welfare schemes affected are in Mexborough, Moorends, Armthorpe, Bentley, Denaby, Rossington, Woodlands, Stainforth, Dunscroft, Askern, Edlington and Highfields.

Two, in Carcroft and Consibrough, are not affected because of historical agreements which mean the council is the legal owner of the site, as opposed to the CISWO, which owns the other welfare premises.

Coun Charlie Hogarth, who is one of six councillors who have asked for the mayor’s decision to be “called-in” and is also a member of the committee at Bentley miners welfare, said the idea could spell disaster for hundreds of sports teams.

He added: “Historically all miners welfare schemes had their own grounds maintenance equipment, but several decades ago the council decided it would take over maintenance and machinery.

“But now the mayor wants to end the agreement, there is no mention of supplying us with equipment to do the job ourselves.

“At Bentley we would need tens of thousands to buy lawnmowers and train people in health and safety to use them, and that is money we just have not got.

“We have 80 to 100 children taking part in cricket lessons this year, that will have to stop. The decision will affect thousands of sportspeople in Doncaster.

“The council says it wants to stop anti-social behaviour. If kids are at the welfare playing cricket, they’re not out causing trouble.”

Doncaster Council’s overview and scrutiny management committee will examine the decision at a meeting to be held in the Mansion House on Thursday and could recommend the mayor finds another approach.

If the decision is allowed to stand, free maintenance will end on April 1 next year, which allows enough time for the authority to give committees legal notice of its intentions.