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Taxpayer will not be
liable for Jubilee Park
COUNCIL taxpayers in Woodhall Spa will not be saddled with any long-term liability to pay for improvements to Jubilee Park.
That is the pledge made by parish councillors who plan to hand over ownership of the park next May.
The council has already shelved controversial proposals which would have involved borrowing up to £1m to pay for a new cafe and fitness suite.
The loan would have been secured against the annual village precept, leaving residents with a hefty increase in bills over at least 20 years.
Now, plans for a desperately-needed refurbishment of the amenity block at the park’s caravan site are hanging in the balance.
It is thought the cost of the work will be in excess of £100,000. Again, the council would have to borrow money from the Public Loan Works Board.
However, council chairman David Clarke said it would be totally unfair to ask taxpayers to pay for the loan, if the council no longer owned the park complex.
He said: “If we took the loan out over 20 years, I do not think people would be very happy spending the next 19 years paying for something we don’t own. I’m sure there would be plenty of complaints.”
The council has been told the refurbishment work is vital because the caravan site is out-dated and is losing valuable trade to rival sites in the area.
Councillors have agreed to set up a working party which will examine the issue before recommending a course of action.
The park is currently being administered by a committee set-up by the council, a decision which caused storms of protests in the village last month.
As part of an agreement to appease opponents, four representatives from the Friends of Jubilee Park (FoJP) have been appointed to the committee - Julie Pole, Bruce Gordon, Jon Finlay and Keith Scarborough.
The FoJP are still the front-runners to takeover ownership of the park, although no decision has been finalised. The council is hoping the handover will take place next May,
Meanwhile, the council has agreed ‘in principle’ to back plans for a major expansion of Woodhall Spa Tennis Club, which is based in the park.
The club aims to increase the size of the clubhouse and add courts designed for junior players. The key to their proposals is a new long-term lease.
The lease would enable the club to attract funding, but the council has admitted plans could be affected by on-going speculation about future ownership of the park.
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Weather for Horncastle
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
