Funding cuts for Slough parks challenged

Langley Memorial Ground in Slough is one of the parks run by a charitable trust

Plans to cut funding for the upkeep of three parks in Slough have been challenged by councillors.

Slough Borough Council is examining its funding for Salt Hill playing fields, Langley Memorial Ground and Baylis Park.

Government-appointed commissioners have urged the council to drop its subsidies to trusts that manage the parks.

Council trustee committee chair Siobhan Dauti warned against the trusts being "set adrift".

Commissioners said the charitable trust set up to run Salt Hill playing fields should be able to recover its full costs - meaning it should not need funding from the council.

But council officers say that if it stopped funding, the playing fields could not be kept "visually pleasing, clean and safe".

A meeting of the council's trustee committee heard the playing fields cost an estimated £56,588 a year to maintain - and only bring in an income of £16,425.

Alison Hibbert, the council's group manager of environmental services, said two rental properties on the site were on "low rental" and "long lease" contracts.

She said the council was looking at whether there were break clauses in those contracts that might allow it to increase rent.

'Current standard'

She also said the council was looking into hiring the park out for more events as another way to increase its income.

The local authority also said the trusts that run Langley War Memorial Field and Baylis War Memorial Garden should become self-sufficient.

Currently both are maintained using money paid to the council by property developers as part of planning permission agreements that affect the grounds.

Committee chair councillor Siobhan Dauti said: "I don't think that we should set the trusts adrift until we've seen the accounts - until we've seen where we can improve the income of the trusts to help them maintain before we set them adrift."

Councillors on the committee agreed that both parks should be "maintained to the current standard" until the developers' funds run out.

Government commissioners took over several functions associated with the council's financial management and governance in 2021.

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