Ok, first I'll nail my flag to the mast. My daughter is a member of the Barnet Copthall Swimming club Senior squad. She's national age group champion at 1500 metres and silver medal holder at 800 metres. This involves one or two lengthy sessions in the pool every day of the week except Saturday.
My son plays football for Watling FC Under 10 A team. You could say I have an interest to declare in community sports facilities. How do I rate Barnets community Sports facilities? Well lets have look at Swimming. Despite being the second largest borough in London and despite having one of Londons most successful swimming squads, there isn't a 50 metre community pool in Barnet. This means all of our swimmers are at a competetive disadvantage. There is only one high diving board, at Crystal Palace. Our coaches do a fantastic jobs, but how much more could they do with proper facilities. How many local youngsters would take up the sport if the facilities were better?
As to football. Again, there isn't a club I'd rather my son played for than Watling FC. Their home ground is Burnt Oak Leisure Centre. It isn't a bad facility, but there is a chronic shortage of funds, a chronic shortage of pitches and a chronic shortage council interest. I recently attended a recording of BBC Radio 4's any questions. One of the panellists said "I can't stand football". Sitting three rows in front of me was the deputy Mayor of Barnet, Hugh Rayner. His response to this statement. He clapped and cheered wildly. Last year, at a Hendon Area Residents forum meeting, I asked why the grass pitches at the Burnt Oak Leisure centre weren't being properly maintained. Hugh Rayner stood up and said that the Leisure Centre was superb and he hadn't seen any problems. I then asked if he'd actually been round the back to look at the pitch. He responded "Er, No". Everyone laughed.
The sad truth is that it's not funny. As you may know, I am standing for the Lib Dems in Mill Hill ward in the Council elections. If you have any constructive suggestions as to how sports facilities in the London Borough of Barnet could be improved, please EMAIL ME BY CLICKING HERE. We are in the process of drawing up our manifesto and any I promise that I will argue passionately to ensure that our young people get a better deal from the Council in regards to sports provision.
1 comment:
Reading Barnet's "Colindale Area Action Plan", one suggestion is to totally oppose digging up the Peel Centre's running track and playing fields.
The Met. Police want to sell the land for development - AND BARNET IS GOING ALONG WITH THAT, instead of opposing it.
Even if the Plods don't want to keep themselves fit, Barnet could keep the land in the public sector for the local community (and within easy reach of the Northern Line).
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