Talks on Westbridge Park town takeover

Talks are under way that could see Stone Town Council take over part of Westbridge Park from the borough council.

Stone Town Council’s Development Sub-Committee on 17th July heard from clerk Les Trigg that he had been in discussions with borough council officers about the town council taking on responsibility for the green space of Westbridge Park – basically, the land to the right of the road on to the park.

The talks have been held as the Localism Act allows town and parish councils to request to take over borough council services where it believes it can do a better job.

Mr Trigg also revealed that discussions had taken place about the town council taking over the leisure centre and play facilities to the left of that road. Town councillors on the committee discounted this and asked for this element of the talks to cease, however, when they heard about the finances involved.

Mr Trigg reported that borough council officers had indicated that the town council would have to take on responsibility for all its leisure facilities in the town – at Westbridge Park and Alleyne’s Sports Centre. Mr Trigg told the committee that Alleyne’s Sports Centre has an operating loss of £145,000. Westbridge Park makes a profit of £31,000, given an income of £320,000.

Members of the committee did want Mr Trigg to continue discussions, though, about the town council taking on the green area of Westbridge Park, which costs just under £4,000 per year to manage.

Cllr Geoff Collier proposed that the town council seeks to take over the green area and encourages the borough council to “provide the leisure and play facilities on the other bit of the park that the town needs”. This was backed by committee members.

A Stafford Borough Council spokesman told A Little Bit of Stone the day after the town council meeting: “As part of the leisure services consultation in Stone recently, the borough council did state that it was willing to gift the green area of Westbridge Park to the town council. This remains our position.”