Covid cash leads to leisure boost in Torridge

Council has £1.7 million to spare

Torridge is to get a boost to its leisure facilities, using an exceptional budget surplus in the council coffers thanks to covid.

In the last financial year it saved almost £1.7 million from unspent government covid support, a rise in planning applications and an underspend on council staffing, in part due to a hiatus on recruitment at the start of the first lockdown.

Following a community and resources committee meeting this week the council is preparing to send £770,000 of this surplus to the council’s leisure budget, which will go on solving a backlog of maintenance issues at council  leisure facilities. Much of the remaining money will go into reserves.

Councillor Chris Leather, (Independent, Northam) argued that the money might be better spent on the council’s new environmental centre, noting: “For a small council like Torridge this is a colossal surplus.”

Chair of the community and resources committee Councillor Robert Hicks (Independent, Monkleigh & Putford) agreed, warning: “There are other things hanging over our head. I’m happy with the principle, but to put all this money earmarked, ring-fenced for leisure I think is a little bit dangerous.”

Leader of the council Ken James (Independent, Milton & Tamarside) told the committee he understood the concerns but added: “Once we start dividing this money up it may not provide anything. We’ll tackle the other problems as we come to them. Let’s not spread the money so thinly that we achieve nothing.”

Though the money is now ring-fenced, it will not be spent until further reports on Torridge’s leisure facilities and environmental centre are brought to full council.

Despite some of the misgivings, the motion passed unanimously.