10:26am Tuesday 9th March 2010
HJ Bowering writes from Thomas Hardye Gardens (Your Say, March 4) to ask why Dorchester Town Council did not carry out the improvement works beside the tennis courts at West Walks as they were fed up with waiting for the job to be done.
The reason is simple – the town council doesn’t own the land. West Dorset District Council does and agreed to do the work several years ago.
Mr Bowering goes on to point out that the town council takes more money out of his pocket than the district council. That is because the district council gets something like 60 per cent of the money it needs to run its services from central government. The town council gets nothing.
What is more, when the old hospital site was developed West Dorset was given this area of land along with 150 car parking spaces.
They charge people to use these 24 hours a day, seven days a week so they get a considerable income from it to help them pay for the works. The town council was given two tennis courts which people pay to use when they want but they are not profit-making – they are a much-appreciated service for local people.
COUN ANDY CANNING, chairman, management committee, Dorchester Town Council
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