North Tyneside Council faces criticism after announcing it will charge people to use newly renovated tennis courts and running track.
Tennis enthusiasts will soon be charged £3 an hour to access eleven tennis courts across North Tyneside. Runners using the Churchill Track, in Whitley Bay, will be charged £3 for a two-hour session from April 10.
The tennis courts affected are in Crawford Park, Whitley Bay, Richard Dees Park, Wallsend and Souter Park in Monkseaton. The new charges are designed to maintain the courts following £174,000 of funding from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to renovate the facilities.
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However, the new price tags on use of the sporting facilities have drawn some criticism from residents.
Monkseaton resident and driving instructor Ivan Thorn took to Twitter and said: "This is quite shocking @NTCouncilTeam and will result in fewer users of the track and adversely affect North Tyneside residents' health. A retrograde step if ever there was one."
Other residents and Twitter stated the facilities should be maintained from council tax. In February this year, North Tyneside Council voted to increase council tax by 4.99%, equating to an increase of almost £88 a year for Band D homes.
Citing purdah, a period of restricted publicity prior to elections, North Tyneside Council declined to comment on concerns that charging for the track and courts may adversely impact their use.
The conservative candidate for Cullercoats Steven Robinson said: "I'm extremely disappointed to hear that North Tyneside Council are using the £174,000 grant funding to add digital padlocks to tennis courts in an attempt to charge residents to use these facilities. This comes as the council are also introducing charges at Churchill running track.
"I volunteered for years at a local non-profit boxing club, during the pandemic we used these courts to run our classes due to indoor restrictions. These are vital community assets, charging people to use them while the cost of living is rising is crazy.
"At a time when the council is claiming to be providing young people activities in an attempt to reduce anti-social behaviour, this seems like it is an own goal. I would urge our Labour Mayor to reconsider."
In a previous statement on the tennis court renovations, Councillor Sandra Graham, Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure, and Libraries said: “Park tennis court facilities are vital community assets that can help widen the impact of the physical and mental health benefits that being active through tennis can bring.
"Our courts are well-used by the community, but they require some investment, and I am delighted that we have been able to secure this amount from the LTA to give them a new lease of life. We are hopeful that the investment will attract more residents to use our tennis courts and provide some assurance to tennis players that they can book a court before playing.”
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