THE bulk of this year?s Waitrose turnover bonus will be spent in Simmons Park, Okehampton town councillors have agreed. Last year, the larger portion of the six-figure-plus sum was given to the properties committee to fund essential repair works on the council?s civic buildings, with the parks committee receiving a smaller amount. This year, the amount due to the town council under a profit-sharing scheme it entered into when the supermarket was built is £103,537. The situation will be reversed this year with the parks committee receiving £70,000, the properties committee getting £30,000 and the remainder will be spent to bolster reserves or to boost the council?s grant aid budget. The spending of the windfall sum was discussed at a recent meeting of the council. Cllr Christine Marsh said she would like to see the parks committee?s share of the money spent on providing new play equipment for children in the park all in one go, rather than in instalments. Cllr David Weekes backed the proposal, saying children and parents in the town had been very patient in waiting for new play equipment in the park. However, Cllr Frances Luxton did not agree. ?I do not think you can say our children are hard done by. ?We have given them a skate shelter and Parklands has just been built. We have got buildings here that need work to keep the water out. ?I just think a great deal of thought should be given before we decide to split the money this way.? Mayor of Okehampton Cllr Tony Leech had proposed taking a sum of around £10,000 out of the Waitrose receipt to give the council a larger pot out of which to make grants to community groups and organisations. Cllr Leech said he would like ?more opportunity to give larger sums of money to charities in the town? but his proposal could not attract a seconder.
