Tender process to operate public tennis courts across Warwick district opens this month

The tennis courts at Victoria Park in Leamington. Picture supplied.

Organisations are being invited to take part in the tender process for the operation of public tennis courts across the Warwick district.

The process will go live by the end of this month and Warwick District Council (WDC) wants the new arrangements to be in place by spring 2023.

Funding has been secured to resurface the courts at Victoria Park, replace the current floodlights with LED lamps and install an online booking and payment system.

WDC says this will “elevate those courts to the same standards as those at Christchurch Gardens [also in Leamington]”.

Councillor Moira-Ann Grainger, WDC’s portfolio holder for neighbourhood and leisure, said: “We know how much our residents enjoy the availability of grassroots sport in their local community venues, and we want to ensure we can continue to offer everyone the best value that we can, whether they are our up-and-coming stars of the future, or families and friends playing together for leisure, fun and fitness.

“This tender process provides an opportunity for the council to increase its tennis provision across the district and provides a funding stream to reinvest into maintaining, improving, and securing the long-term future of tennis in this district.”

Claire Pomfret, who has run the VP Tennis Club at the courts in Victoria Park since 2012, is campaigning to keep the club operating there.

Members of the VP Tennis Club have campaigned against the tender process for the operation of the courts at Victoria Park in Leamington. Photo credit: Mike Baker- MDB

In June, she launched a petition against the forthcoming tender process and criticised the appraisal report which has brought the process about.

She said: “Our main criticism of the report is that we are being judged against outcomes we were never asked to fulfil.”

The full details of the petition can be found online here https://bit.ly/3UeJtbK

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WDC has said: “VP Tennis currently operate the tennis courts at Victoria Park, and will now be given six months’ notice, in accordance with the terms of their licence, to accommodate the outcome of the tender process.

"VP Tennis can tender for the operation of the tennis courts should they wish to do so, and will be able to draw on their experience of delivering a tennis offer at Victoria Park.”