Wirral cuts funding for Hoylake, Brackenwood golf courses
As of 1 April, the council will no longer be maintaining the courses. It is one of several decisions to eliminate £20m from the council’s budget.
At the budget meeting on Monday, the council also agreed to pull funding from Woodchurch Leisure Centre and nine libraries.
Regarding the Brackenwood and Hoylake golf greens, an officer’s report noted that they were the lowest-performing of the council’s four golf courses.
Woodchurch Leisure Centre was chosen for closure because of “the required level of investment and the subsidy it carries”, with the budget proposal seeking to demolish the building in favour of an outdoor leisure scheme.
However, demolition could be averted if community groups submit a bid to take over the centre. If that happens, the council agreed to provide £330,000 to support the winning bid.
Wirral has been under increasing pressure to cut spending and re-examine its budget after an external review found that it was at risk of bankruptcy. That report had urged the sale of the golf courses, as well as the Wallasey and Birkenhead town halls.
Wirral has a lot of good things happening at present especially construction around Birkenhead, but these cuts chip away at the fabric of society eg in the sphere of education/reading, and leisure. Wirral street cleaning/upkeep has suffered over the recent years eg in Hoylake, while in the same location the beach has partly become a swamp due to none raking of the beach supposedly for conservation reasons but it looks more like a cost-saving exercise.
By Anonymous