North Yorkshire's mayor has said he is ‘glad’ that North Yorkshire Council agreed to a £3.2m backstop to for Scarborough Athletic FC’s pitch repairs amid calls for the Combined Authority to make a financial contribution.
David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, will continue to “monitor the situation” as the executive of North Yorkshire Council last week agreed on a backstop for repairs at Scarborough Athletic’s football pitch.
Senior councillors at NYC said they were committed to the long-term future of the community football pitch and finding an “expedient” solution as negotiations with the original contractors were ongoing.
The authority said that the repairs at the council-owned Scarborough Sports Village could cost it £3.2m, and some executive members called on the mayor to contribute to the works financially.
In April, Mayor Skaith said of SAFC’s situation: “However we can support them going forward, we will continue to have those open conversations with them.”
Coun Mark Crane, NYC’s executive member for open to business, said:
“I see that the Mayor is supportive of [SAFC finding a solution] and I expect he’ll also be happy to put his hand in his pocket and give us some money.”
Also speaking at the meeting, Coun Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services, added:
“I welcome everyone’s support – support is putting your hand in your pocket.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Skaith told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS):
“The Mayor is glad to see that North Yorkshire Council have agreed to provide support to Scarborough Athletic Football Club after regular and positive engagement from the club and Alison Hume MP.
“He will continue to monitor the situation and explore options to support the club’s future.”
NYC had been planning to replace the surface with an upgraded version at the end of the current season but a survey had identified “serious structural issues, including a defective drainage system installed when the facility was first constructed”.
Coun Simon Myers, executive member for culture, arts, and housing, said:
“Not only do we want to put it right, we want it done as soon as possible for the club and the fans, that is our commitment.
“This is the backstop position: in the event that negotiations don’t produce an early solution – and we won’t let them drag on for too long – the council will undertake the works to remedy the defects and resurface the pitch”.
Coun Myers told the meeting that negotiations with the original contractors were at a “crunch point” and “we should know where we’re going in the next week or so”.
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