Mid Devon District Council Crushes Boys’ Olympic Dreams
Culm Valley Boxing Club is shutting down today due to MDDC deciding to charge it business rates.
Originally the council thought it a good idea to have a Boxing Club in the local are and provided some small funding to help start up costs (see minutes). The police were involved in helping set it up.
10-15 people train here a week under the guidance of Coach Mark Barrrington. Two of the 15 year old boys had behavioural problems at school, but have since settled down and are training regularly.
The Club is non profit making, barely being able to cover the rent, with Mark putting his own money into the club. Excelsior has sponsored it with £2k of kit.
The politiicans will tell tell you about an “Olympic Legacy” but this is the reality of sport for most people in the country. Local coaches volunteering, using their initiative due to a passion for sport and helping others, but having obstacles put in their path by beauracrats.
MDDC have made a splash previously saying how sport helps educational achievement, but the people in the business rates department haven’t been told that.
In 2 years time, when young people in the villages of Willand and Uffculme watch the Olympics on TV and decide they want to get up and do something- here is one less choice they will have.
Well done to Mark for setting it up and to all the people who have been training there- it is nice to see some positive work in the local community. If any local people have a space for the Club to train, please contact Mark on 07773900346.
Perhaps MDDC can let us know why they feel sports clubs should be subject to business rates in the same way as profit-making companies?
When the inevitable consequence is that clubs can no longer continue, everyone loses.
Presumably CVBC have been offered the 50% Small Business Rate Reduction?
Its all really sad, our athletics club is also be clobbered in this way, but luckily the memberships and training fees are just about covering it, the council has been going through its books and seeing what can be cut and all sport seems to be an easy target. How long will other clubs survive???????
I hope this makes big news!
Regards
Terry Gaunt
Sad story James – but unfortunately going to be repeated up and down the country I suspect. It’s the same her in rural Cumbria – lots of talk of £billions going into sport for 2012 yet a dearth of sports facilities for
young people and the councils putting up prices almost on a monthly basis for the few that do exist. Meanwhile, we watch the hundreds of £millions
going into London….
Andrew Hamilton
Thanks for your message. To be honest I prefer not to comment without the full facts. What I would say is that Cullompton is already short of facilities and that is something I would like to address.
Best wishes,
Jon.
PS I should point out that the Tories run MDDC and they seem to be cutting
funding for all sorts of community and volunteer projects.
(Jon Underwood Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Tiverton and Honiton).
And we wonder why Britain is fielding less and less world champion talent. We will have a fantastic stadium for the Olympics which we (the tax payer) paid for, filled with talent from all over the world. Unfortunately we are in danger of not having the funds to develop any of our own talent to compete in said games.
If you live in rural areas train as a distance runner, as you can do that without specialist facilities…oh wait, I better keep my voice down or distance runners might get subjected to road tax,……
Its sad to see a local run club, which is trying to support its local community and young talent being shot down in such a way!! Our club (st mellion international resort) has recently become part of the olympic passport scheme and I hate to see other clubs being punished for trying to support up and coming athletes. They are doing no harm, so why not support them!!
It is a shame, there seems to be a great disparity with funding and support for different sports, which doesn’t seem to depend on facility needs or anything else. My dad is the treasurer for an athletics club, which does get some funding, but also has no facility expenses, runs a couple of local races, and can accept unlimited membership (because space is not limited), and they are sitting on a bank balance of £15,000+ and rising. Other clubs can barely pay their way – I play handball which is a minority sport in the UK, and have to travel hundreds of miles for training and competitions. My club has qualified for the European Champions League for the past 2 years, but have had to decline entry both times, as the club has no money and it would cost each player in excess of £250 to enter, due to high travel expenses. We have tried extremely hard (unsuccessfully) to get some sort of funding or sponsorship to compete. The club is only still running due to the commitment of our volunteer coaches and players to travel and cover expensive hall hire costs, because of our love for the sport.
Sport should do one thing above all – to provide kids with the opportunity to chase their dreams.
High performance is good.
Gold medals are great.
World records are fantastic.
But in the end, if it is not helping kids to realise their potential through the pursuit of their dreams, it is nothing!
To the people who made this decision – shame – shame – shame.
Wayne Goldsmith
Looks like it might be poss to get this changed?
‘Not for Profit’ Relief
The authority has the discretion to grant up to 100% rate relief in respect of a non domestic property occupied by certain bodies not established or conducted for profit.
The authority has the discretion to grant up to 100% rate relief in respect of a non domestic property occupied by certain bodies not established or conducted for profit and whose main objects are charitable or philanthropic or religious or concerned with education, social welfare, science, literature, fine arts or the occupier is a club concerned with recreation.
Examples of these bodies are as follows:
* Football Clubs
* Rugby Clubs
* Grant Assisted Schools
* Tourist Information
* Village Halls
* Cricket Clubs
* Bowling Clubs
If you fit the above criteria pleaes use the link to the right to display and print a form to make application for this relief. Please ensure that you enclose a copy of your latest audited trading accounts with your application.
Hopefully we can restart the club soon?
Russell
Appalling – however – the minutes related to a Devon County meeting of THEIR subgroup mid devon funding committee, and business rates are Mid Devon themselves – and if you expect joined up thinking from these two – forget it!!! A few of us tried and failed to work in a joined up way but efforts were seriously opposed and limited!!! Don’t be surprised if Mid Devon aren’t aware of the funding..
Good luck I really hope you get the decision overturned – the group is extremely valuable and a very good thing.
Looking at the council website,
It would appear that as a not for profit organisation that you can get an exemption?!