Leader’s response to Racing Club poem

Rather than being an enemy of Warwick West as Daniel declares, since we took control of the district council in 2007, we have targeted Warwick West as it is an area that experiences at least in part significant deprivation. To this end we have:

1. Spent about £100,000 as grant aid to help improve the facilities of Racing Club Warwick.

2. Sought to negotiate a new and longer lease with Racing Club Warwick which would have enabled them to have control of two additional playing fields, given them car parking spaces, given them upwards of £170,000 as a capital grant to improve their premises and it would have protected the boxing club and cadets facilities. In the light of the failure of the club to agree to new lease, we have:

(a) Ringfenced £120,000 for the St Mary’s Lands Forbes Estate area to which local clubs and community groups can bid to develop and provide facilities and services to the local community. This is the £120k that Daniel stated that WDC had wasted, the money is still available for the area to come forward with ideas to enhance the community;

(b) Protected public playing fields from trespass and uninsured use by Racing Club Warwick by taking away the goalposts, albeit reluctantly;

(d) Kept the door open for discussions once we have clarity on the constitution of the Club.

3. Last year, gave Warwick Town Council £16k towards their Tourism Budget and have agreed to do the same this year.

4. Agreed to give £65,000 to Warwick Town Council, some land and the use of part of Pageant House as part of the refurbishment scheme of the Court House Budget.

5. Agreed to give up to £230,000 towards the Community Hall at Chase Meadow. If this had not been given, the community would have had a community centre not fit for purpose.

6. Have had to pay to move Warwick Boxing Club away from Racing Club Warwick to a new facility because of electric problems at RCW, this is an expense that was unforeseen but WDC have helped out.

7. Set up a Town Centre Partnership to develop a Town Centre Action Plan, the next stage of consideration is due to be held toward the end of May to be followed by public consultation.

8. Will consider a range of proposals at the next executive meeting on April 18 to further help Warwick West and protect its heritage.

9. Agreed to support the Portas Pilot scheme bid for the town centre and have promised £5,000 toward the proposal.

10. Warwickshire libraries in Warwick District are open longer than anticipated because of actions taken by this council.

11. The residents of WDC have had two years of no Council Tax increase from WDC, and are about to experience a third, with no reductions to our services and no staff lay-offs.

All of this represents a significant financial investment and an investment of time and effort of councillors and staff.

If this is what you get from an enemy, Daniel, just imagine what it is like as a friend.

As far as Racing Club Warwick losing large amounts of money, you will have to take that up with the club.

Yes, Warwick is a great place to live, work and visit and that’s what the Tories have managed and will promise the make it a greater place. I am proud to lead the Tory controlled council and we will lead the way forward and certainly we are not such an enemy to the whole of the district.

I do accept you can have all these benefits and still attack the district council, but please get your facts right in the future.- Cllr Michael Doody, Leader of Warwick District Council.