Conservatives fail to guarantee free tennis at Bedford Park

The Conservative administration have not been able to “accurately layout the free tennis provision or other community benefits” in Bedford Park despite making a decision to cut the number of courts from nine to three and introducing a pay-to-play service.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader and De Parys Councillor Henry Vann said “It is appalling that the Conservatives have rushed through with this decision without having any idea about the number of free sessions. Residents are rightly concerned and the Conservatives must get their act together and guarantee to protect free playing hours. We must be one of the only councils in the country to be using the Lawn Tennis Association grant to reduce capacity.”

David Sawyer, Liberal Democrat De Parys Councillor added “Whilst the Lawn Tennis Association’s investment may be welcome, it cannot come at the cost of ending free tennis courts and reducing the capacity so dramatically. We have launched a petition against these changes. We need to see some free court capacity retained. It is absurd to press ahead with the current proposal until this can be guaranteed.”

The petition can be found at www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/petitions/save-bedford-park-tennis-courts.