Council Cut Funding For Children’s Playground

LAST night the Upper Hunter Shire Council held an extraordinary meeting and withdraw funding from an all-ability children’s playground, forcing local community group the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre to return $120,000 in grant funding for the Park to the government. 

Read: Neighbourhood Appalled At Council’s Cut To Disability Playground.

Community group, the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre, was successful in obtaining a $120,000 government grant for a splash park at Amaroo Park in Scone, however Council requirements for a chlorination system at the park meant the project could not proceed.

Under the grant requirements, the Neighbourhhod Centre was able to adapt their plans and put forward an all-ability playground instead.

The Council had already allocated $60,000 in their budget to to replace non-compliant playground equipment, but last night cut the funding to $15,000.

Cr Brown voiced his concerns that the Council were cutting budget from a children’s park and cautioned it may mean the $120,000 in grant money may have to be handed back to the government.

“We go on about this being terribly expensive, you don’t get much park for this kind of money, nothing is cheap anymore and particularly in the provision of equipment that meets the needs of safety standards that we must adhere to,” said Councillor Brown.

“The second point is that this just will look like Council is trying to offset it’s own obligations. It has an obligation to upgrade the equipment that’s already there.

“We’ve allocated $60,000 in our DPOP (budget) and we’ve now said, “woohoo $120,000 of somebody else’s money has come along, so therefore we can squirrel away $45,000 of it,” he said. 

“I don’t think it’s a good look and frankly wouldn’t be surprised if the Neighbourhood Centre says, right we’re withdrawing our offer and we wind up having to reallocate the $45,000 and wind up with a second rate park,” said Councillor Brown.

Cr Sue Abbott stressed the importance of having a park where all children of all abilities can play and said the park could be pilot for similar parks to be rolled out across the Shire, but was disillusioned Council were cutting their budget and jepordising the whole project.

“…we have voted this down as the Upper Hunter Shire Council is disgraceful, I am so disappointed I wonder what the point of me being a Councillor is when lose something like that and I will consider what I am going to do next,” said Councillor Abbott.

Cr Ron Campbell said he didn’t want the $120,000 returned to the state government, but put forward a motion to cut Council budget for Amaroo Park, consult with the community on if they should allow the all-ability playground to go ahead and raised issues about the increased noise levels and traffic the park could attract.

Cr Lorna Discoll seemed confused with the motion, voting for Cr Campbell’s motion, while stating she supported the motion to leave the Council funding in the budget in place.

“Well I’m agreeable to do the first stage, but probably not the second stage, at this stage, because it will be too much money for one park, but I am agreeable with the $120,000 and the $60,” said Cr Driscoll. 

Cr Abbott sought clarification on Cr Driscoll’s contradictory statement, to which Acting-Mayor Maurice Collison said, “I think that’s irrelevant anyway, they’ve got the mover and the seconder and the seconder doesn’t have to speak, so I’m going to now put the foreshadowed motion up.”

The motion for Council to maintain their funding to the Park and facilitate the all-ability playground at the Park was lost.

Cr Fisher and Cr Burns were absent from the meeting and Cr Watts abstained due to her role as manager of the Scone Neighbourhood Centre.