A PUBLIC statement will be made by a town council to shrug off its "big bad wolf" image in the row over the eviction of a tennis club for failing to pay a £4,500 rent.
A PUBLIC statement will be made by a town council to shrug off its "big bad wolf" image in the row over the eviction of a tennis club for failing to pay a £4,500 rent.
Woodbridge Town Council's finance and staffing committee decided last night that it must reveal the full background to the decision to ask the town's tennis club to pay the rent or be evicted.
Woodbridge Tennis Club said it could not afford the rent and it was much higher than expected and it left the Kingston Field pavilion. An inspection report has now revealed that more than £1,000 needs to be spent on repairing damage and cleaning dirt.
The row over the future of the pavilion has not been resolved although the town council last night agreed a series of resolutions to try to clear up the controversy.
It will ask the Woodbridge Community Tennis Partnership to consider if it wants to pay a rent and it will tell the tennis club that it can not review the £4,500 rent for another six months under Standing Orders. The council will also ask the Kingston Pavilion Management Committee to disclose their finances.
Cliff Cocker, a town councillor, revealed the contents of a three-hour inspection he made at the pavilion when the tennis club left. He complained about the filthy state of some of the pavilion and he listed a catalogue of dirt, damage and necessary repairs.
"I do not consider the building has been maintained internally. I think that the council in order to make its own case should make public the history of the pavilion," said Coun Cocker.
The tennis club resigned from the pavilion management committee last September.
Coun Les Binns said: "All this sorry state of affairs could have been avoided by people attending meetings that they were supposed to attend."
Eileen Schlee, tennis club chairman, said in a letter to the council: "The summary notice of eviction has caused deep distress across the membership. Beyond our membership, our schools' catchment area, and our various sports partnerships, the town council's actions have caused real concern about local governance."
richard.smith@eadt.co.uk
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