A political row has broken out after Labour parish cllrs. at Culcheth welcomed £200,000 funding for a new play area in the village – after Tory Borough Cllrs helped secure some of the money from Warrington Borough Council.
The three Tory Borough Cllrs. representing the Culcheth area, Wendy Maisey, Carole Benson and Valerie Allen, saw red when Labour Cllrs issued a press release and photograph heralding the funding success – especially after “promised” funding from the borough council had been cut by nearly half.
In a joint statement they said: “Whilst any funding offered by the Warrington Borough Council (WBC) is welcome, it is disappointing that the funding that was promised has already been cut by half. This was an ideal opportunity for all Parish and Borough Councillors to work together to maximise funding and to get the best possible play equipment for the children of Culcheth.
It is hypocritical and opportunist of Labour Parish councillors to parade themselves in front of a playground which has received a funding cut from Warrington Borough Council. The decision regarding the funding announced by WBC has yet to be ratified by all ten Parish Councillors or the Borough Councillors and their press release was without doubt premature and lacked consultation from other stakeholders.
“Conservative Borough Councillors were asked by Culcheth & Glazebury Parish Council to speak to WBC on their behalf, as the parish had hit a stalemate and were getting nowhere with the Council. After several representations, Conservative Borough Councillors were initially promised £140k match funding by WBC.
Last week, after a period of silence, we were notified that only £72k would be made available to supplement the money allocated by the Parish Council. This is a funding cut and yet another example of Labour giving with one hand and taking with another.
“Labour councillors are strangely silent about where the further £68k originally promised from the Borough Council has gone. It seems obvious that Labour Parish councillors do not talk to their Borough counterparts and seem to be completely at sixes and sevens on this matter. They don’t seem to be able to communicate with their own portfolio holders because Labour locally seems factional, divided and utterly dysfunctional. All of this results in Culcheth being awarded less than we are due, and we risk a playground being developed that is not fit for purpose. Labour councillors should stop settling for second best and join local Conservatives in demanding that full match funding is reinstated.
“Children from Newchurch Primary School spent a lot of time drawing pictures of their desired new playground, resulting in a list of the top 10 items they wanted to see in their new playground. The Children of Culcheth have been waiting far too long for a decent replacement playground and deserve a playground that is fit for future generations to come.
The amount being contributed by WBC falls far short of what is needed and is far less than previous playground budgets locally.
“Questions need asking and they certainly will be! Why?”
In response to the criticism by Cllr Neil Johnson, Chair of Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council said: “Any initial discussions which took place between WBC and the Parish Council were prior to the economic financial turbulence which has impacted on all in recent months. Ultimately, the decision over the size of funding provided by WBC for the play area was a decision above Parish Council level and we acknowledge the difficulties all councils have had with their budgets in recent years. We are grateful for the funding which has been provided and the additional agreement for the borough council to pay the project management fees, which can be substantial. There is no ‘cut’ to funding for the play area because there were no monies allocated by WBC as the start of this process and the monies granted have only recently been awarded to the project.
“It is a shame that Cllr Maisey is not welcoming of funds for the play area on Culcheth Green and investment in the village. The discussions regarding funds for a new park have been dealt with at ‘cross party’ Parish Council level and with Warrington Borough Council. It was believed that getting any funding for a new play area was a ‘good news story’ that all Parish Councillors had worked towards. The Parish Council regularly communicate and engage with borough councillors, and indeed the other two borough councillors for Culcheth, Glazebury, and Croft are active members of the Parish Council and subcommittees.
“The Parish Council, along with our community in Culcheth are looking forward to a new Play Area on Culcheth Green in due course.”
