Culcheth is set to get a new playground on Culcheth Green, which is welcome news for local families who have been waiting far too long for equipment children can actually enjoy, rather than merely tolerate.
However, the announcement comes with a sizeable funding row attached. Three Conservative councillors, Wendy Maisey, Carol Benson and Val Allen, say Warrington Borough Council has provided only £72,000, despite an earlier promise of around £140,000 in match funding.
In other words, the playground is going ahead, but the budget has apparently taken a dramatic slide before the children have even reached the swings.
A long-awaited project
Local councillors have said the children of Culcheth deserve a playground that is fit for future generations. That is hardly an extravagant demand. A safe, modern and properly equipped play area should be a basic community investment, not a prolonged exercise in chasing signatures and funding promises.
Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council has acknowledged that the project took longer than expected. Cllr Pete Holmes said: “The Parish Council acknowledges that this has taken longer than anticipated, due to myriad reasons.”
The eventual green light is still positive, particularly for families who have watched the project drag on. But a delayed playground with reduced funding risks becoming a compromise before construction has even begun.
Why the funding is disputed
According to Wendy Maisey, Carol Benson and Val Allen, Conservative borough councillors were asked by Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council to approach Warrington Borough Council after the parish council reached a stalemate.
They say that, after several representations, they were initially promised £140,000 in match funding. Last week, following what they describe as a period of silence, they were told that only £72,000 would be made available alongside money allocated by the parish council.
“While any funding offered by Warrington Borough Council is welcome, it is disappointing that the funding that was promised has already been cut by half,” the councillors said.
The three councillors argue that this leaves Culcheth with less than it was due and could result in a playground that is not fit for purpose. They have called for the full match funding to be reinstated and criticised what they describe as “Labour giving with one hand and taking with another.”
That is a political accusation, of course, but the underlying concern is straightforward. If the original figure really was £140,000, cutting it to £72,000 is not a minor adjustment. It could mean fewer features, reduced accessibility or a scheme that needs another funding scramble before it is finished.
There is plenty to welcome here: the project is moving forward, the parish council has persisted and local children may finally get the play area they deserve. But residents are entitled to ask why a promised contribution has reportedly been reduced by almost half, and whether the final playground will genuinely be built for future generations or simply built to fit the remaining budget.