From J. Dickinson, in response to the Effingham Eye column
Regarding the changes to the Howard of Effingham School’s sports venues, what matters most is using facilities that are managed with a focus on, and investment in, sporting excellence and performance.
Read more here
I have added a comment to Julia Dickinson’s Dragon article, and for clarity I will repeat it here.
J Dickinson is misinformed. As a trustee of the EVRT charity which manages the KGV Fields, I can state categorically that all users of the KGV are expected to meet the costs to the charity of providing the facilities they use, so that there is no cross-subsidy. We are a charity, not a commercial business operating in a marketplace. The charity simply cannot afford to provide facilities at less than cost.
To suggest that the KGV was trying to get the Howard School to subsidise ‘freebies’ is outrageous. Residents pay through the parish council precept, part of their council tax, for their ‘freebies’ such as playgrounds.
The Howard School was simply asked to continue paying the full cost to the charity of providing the facilities the School used: two football pitches, two rugby pitches, an athletics track, and cricket square, together with open use of the whole KGV grounds for sports such as orienteering and cross-country. The cost to the charity of maintaining those facilities amounts to £29,000 per year, a small 2.1% increase in the previous fee paid by the school. Sadly they declined that offer.
I have every sympathy with the Howard School’s wish to cut their costs, given the difficult funding situation for schools nationally. The Howard School is part of the Effingham community, and I wish them well in their efforts to find alternative facilities.