Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1      At the People and Communities Committee meeting on 11th October 2016 the following notice of motion was presented:

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Collins proposed:

            “This Council notes the concerns raised by local football teams over the cost of pitches, including grass, 3G and 4G pitches.  Some of our most long-standing service users have indicated that they have had to face a price increase of up to 20-25% over the recent period, with some teams reporting that the price of grass pitches has risen from £30 to £55 over a two year period and 3G pitches from £90 to £120 over a one year period.

            The Council agrees that this is simply unattainable for many local teams and it is serving to negatively impact upon grassroots football.  The Council views it as important that we ensure that these facilities are within the reach of our local teams and, accordingly, agrees that these price increases should be reversed and a re-examination undertaken of pitch pricing policy to ensure that these facilities are accessible to all.”

1.2       Committee agreed that a report be brought back to November’s People and Communities Committee in response to this.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the 2016/17 scale of charges for the use of pitches in our parks

·        Note that there will be no price increase in 2017/2018 in line with the estimates process underway

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       Fees and Charges for the use of facilities within the department are reviewed annually, in line with the estimates process and revised rates implemented with effect from 1st April each year. In the last number of years there have been minor inflationary increases.

3.2       Belfast pitch charges did not increase in 2016/2017 except for the following circumstances:

1.     A proposal was agreed at Transition Committee on 10th February 2015 to retain the Lisburn City Council rate of £60 for the hire of 3G pitches at the Brooke Activity Centre for a period of 12 months, that is, from 1st April 2015 until 31st March 2016.  Therefore the rate at this facility reverted back to the Belfast rate as of 1st April 2016.

2.     The Leisure Services contract with GLL came into effect on 1st January 2015 and included the operation of 3G pitches at Leisure Centres.  Within the terms of the contract the cost of pitch hire was frozen for the first 9 months retaining the 2015/16 hourly rate of £80.  The GLL 3G charges reverted to the Council rate of £82 in September 2016 having operated at the reduced rate for an additional 11 months.

3.3       A benchmarking exercise is undertaken each year in relation to the cost of grass and 3G pitches within the greater Belfast area. The hourly hire charge for grass pitches ranges from £19 to £34 while our current price is £25.75 per hour. 

            The charge for a 3G full pitch ranges from £70 to £82 while our current price is £82 per hour.  Match rates range from £90 to £110. This is for a hire period of up to 2hrs which was previously agreed by Council in response to demand from users.

3.4       Concessionary rates are available at a 50% reduction for Junior use and for off peak use for both grass and 3G pitches. Peak applies to bookings between 12-2pm and after 5pm Mon-Fri.

3.5       Clubs often avail of a block booking mechanism which allows bookings up to 13 weeks in advance and saves on VAT.  For example a block booking for a match would equate to £91.67 per match on a 3G pitch for a booking of up to 2 hours.

3.6       Significant investment has been put into both Grass and 3G pitches over the years and the benchmarks above are not always comparing the same standard of facility however they are competitive. 

            Financial & Resource Implications

3.7       The hire of pitches generates approximately £200k income annually for the service.  This income supports the management and maintenance of the facilities and in the case of 3G provides for the replacement of the surfaces which have an average life of 10 years.

            Equality or Good Relations Implications

3.8       There are no equality or Good relations implications.”

            With the permission of the Chairperson, Councillor Collins addressed the Committee and outlined his concerns surrounding the increase in the hire cost of the Council’s pitches.  He stated that this was a problem that was placing a huge financial burden on many local clubs and organisations and he called for an immediate price reduction.

            A number of Members concurred and reiterated the financial pressure that many of the smaller football clubs were facing and also sought clarification on the current pitch prices. 

            The Assistant Director addressed a number of queries regarding the current pricing policy and the fees charged.  She explained that the income generated was used to support the management and maintenance of the facilities which included the reseeding of the grass pitches and replacement of the 3G pitches that was required approximately every 10 years.

            The Director of City and Neighbourhood Services highlighted that any reduction in the charges would have an impact on the departmental budget and it would therefore need to be considered as part of the Council’s rate setting process 2017/18.

            It was:

Moved by Councillor Beattie,

Seconded by Councillor Magennis,

That this Council adopts a discretionary policy for community and voluntary groups and grants a 25% reduction for groups that meet the criteria set out by this Committee.

            On a vote by show of hands, 8 Members voted for the proposal and 11 against and it was declared lost.

            Following further discussion, the Committee noted the update report and agreed that an additional report would be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee that:

• would provide an explanation of how the pitch fee of £82 had been arrived at; and 
• provide the detail of the engagement that had taken place with the various clubs and users of the pitches.