Consett YMCA Juniors
Sports Village Fiasco
The Derwenstide Independents eventually voted for the creation of a new sports facility after they had scuppered any chance of Consett getting its Sports Village.
At a meeting in the council chamber which was opened to the public the Independents voted in favour of a scheme to cap the council's investment to £10m. This put the final nail in the coffin which was the dream of the sports village.
For football it means that we will gain nothing - no new pitches, no all weather surfaces, no new facilities. The sports centre will be rebuilt under the proposal on a smaller scale - probably one main sports hall and including a 25m swimming pool. £10m is not a lot of money these days when constructing new public buildings.
The Labour leader and councillors have resigned themselves to at least having something as they backed the major scheme from the start.
It was a sad day for me as I had seen the plans and the vision. Great schemes need vision and have to be visionary. The Independent councillors at Derwentside are not visionary. In my opinion they are not even representative of the community. Ask anyone in Consett what they wanted!
For Football we must explore new avenues. Maybe the County Council will have a bigger plan and maybe we can get something out of that. I hate politics when it stops progress. If you bother to vote in local elections bear this in mind and keep clear of the Derwentside Independents. After seeing them in action in the council chamber I would rather vote for an empty seat than put them in a position where they can influence anything. The Independents leader Watts Stelling was quoted as saying their was nothing in the Sports Village plans for the over 50s and if you could not swim. Has this man ever been in the current facilities and seen what is on offer for the over 50's - obviously not.
It was pretty ironic then, in the council chamber, when he and all his band of followers all voted against the creation of a new bowls facility and clubhouse in East Stanley. I rest my case!
9:56am Thursday 7th February 2008
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CommentPosted by: Owen Temple, Consett on 8:11pm Sat 9 Feb 08
Do I get just a whiff of party political pleading here?
Unless my maths is wrong, the Labour Group has an absolute majority on Derwentside District Council. So if all the Labour councillors had backed the original plan it would have gone through. The simple truth is that the leader of the council could not even convince all his own councillors that his vision was not just a pipe-dream, let alone opposition councillors.
I offer this simply to set the record straight. I am not an Independent - I am a Liberal Democrat councillor and proud of it.
What all councillors and members of the public need to do now is work together to deliver the best possible facilities for sport. And yes, that does include new pitches for the many footballing groups, especially the young ones, in the district. To achieve that will require co-operation and focus.
Do I get just a whiff of party political pleading here?
Unless my maths is wrong, the Labour Group has an absolute majority on Derwentside District Council. So if all the Labour councillors had backed the original plan it would have gone through. The simple truth is that the leader of the council could not even convince all his own councillors that his vision was not just a pipe-dream, let alone opposition councillors.
I offer this simply to set the record straight. I am not an Independent - I am a Liberal Democrat councillor and proud of it.
What all councillors and members of the public need to do now is work together to deliver the best possible facilities for sport. And yes, that does include new pitches for the many footballing groups, especially the young ones, in the district. To achieve that will require co-operation and focus.
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CLUB INFORMATION
Consett YMCA Juniors FC are an FA Chartered Community Club in partnership with Consett AFC
clubs within the community club which include:
Consett AFC
Consett YMCA Ladies
Consett reserves/Ebchester
Consett over 40's
Consett Sheer Class - 5a-side adult disabled team
Consett YMCA Juniors FC consists of 30 teams boys and girls of different age groups that play in different leagues, including:
Apollo doors Gateshead Youth League
Russell Foster Youth League
South Tyneside Youth League
New County Tyneside Youth U16 League
Durham County Council Girls Mini Soccer League
Season 2007/08 will see the birth of the Consett U21 team.
Any information required to club secretary David Pyke - 07889 419268
