PUBLIC use of the sports centre based at Callington Community College will be cut back from next month because of funding constraints. The college said it can no longer fund staffing outside extended school hours and there will be restricted use to the public at evenings and weekends from April 1. It has criticised Caradon District Council for failing to provide any funding to support the community sport provision in Callington over the past three years despite spending thousands of pounds updating Saltash and Liskeard Leisure Centres. During this time the college has improved community facilities with its own funds including the installation of a £1.3 million all-weather pitch and four floodlit outdoor tennis courts. But the district council told the Times this week that having made a capital contribution of £126,000 towards the building of the centre, it was now the college's responsibility to pay for its upkeep as it belonged to the college. Chairman of governors Peter Lee said the money the college received for providing education for its students was having to be used to fund sports facilities for the public, plus the necessary staffing, maintenance, cleaning and electricity. 'We have written several times to Caradon District Council, but letters have often been completely ignored and the stalemate has continued,' said Mr Lee. 'Our priority must be to spend the money we receive on educating our students, so, regretfully, we can no longer subsidise this facility.' Mr Lee said Callington Community College took over the management of the sports centre — which at the time consisted of a gym, large sports hall and outdoor tennis courts — several years ago at the request at the district council but no agreement had ever been drawn up detailing terms and conditions. 'Times have changed and we have these additional facilities which are all available to the general public including the all-weather pitch, which is used until 10pm,' added Mr Lee. 'We have to have the staff on site to run the place and feel that Caradon should be providing some financial assistance to help with the maintenance.' District councillor for Callington Andrew Long said in the same period that the college had been asking Caradon for financial support, thousands of pounds had been spent by the council on sports facilities in Liskeard and Saltash, while none had been spent in Callington. 'All communities should be equally treated and the current situation can only be seen as discrimination against the people of Callington by their local district council,' he said. Councillor Margaret Allen, Caradon District Council's local environment portfolio holder, said: 'I am extremely disappointed that Callington Community College is threatening to cut public access to Callington Sports Centre. 'Whilst Caradon made a capital contribution of £126,000 towards the building of the sports centre, the centre belongs to the college and it is the college's responsibility to pay for its upkeep. The situation is similar in Torpoint where, again, Caradon has made a capital contribution to sports facilities but is not responsible for ongoing running costs.' Mrs Allen said the college knew full well that Caradon's lump sum contribution was provided on the basis that there would be community access to the sports centre for 40 years: 'If the college withdraws public access, then Caradon will have no option but to consider ways in which to recover its financial contribution,' she said. She added that substantial grant funding had been received from Sport England, the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Lottery and others to provide the all-weather pitch and tennis courts. 'These grants would have been awarded on the basis of there being public access to the facilities, and these other funders will no doubt seek to recover their contributions if the community is denied access,' said Mrs Allen. 'Caradon and other key partners have recently invested £585,000 in sports provision elsewhere in Callington, and I personally wrote to the college in the autumn inviting them to apply to the council for grant funding if they were having difficulty. Sadly, the college chose not to respond to that suggestion.'
