As you might know, Carterton Town Council was successful in its recent bid to secure £46,000 of Playbuilder funding from Oxfordshire County Council to fully renovate the Alvescot Road Recreation Ground.

I am now rather concerned, having seen Michael Gove’s letter which states that the Playbuilder funding for 2010 is no longer ringfenced.

(Pictured with me is Emma Beckett who is chair of the Carterton Youth Council)

We know that Oxfordshire County Council will be holding a budget meeting on the 1st July to discuss where savings can be made. I do hope that the Playbuilder funds will not be one of the areas impacted by the proposed Oxfordshire County Council budget cuts, especially following the huge amount of community involvement across the town.

As you will understand this is a one off capital cost, rather than an unsustainable revenue project – I do hope that this project will be protected, especially given the large number of people any withdrawal of funding would impact, and the large number of people who have already been involved in consultation, fundraising and planning.

In recent meetings with a reporter from the Oxford Mail it was noted that this funding had been secured and that the recreation ground renovation project was moving forward as planned and that the play park, which is 30 years old and looking very scruffy, will be the first phase to be done.

I have raised this issue with David Cameron MP (our constituency MP and the new PM), Cllr Keith Mitchell (leader of the County Council) and the CEO of the District Council. Additionally I have made this matter something for the press to report on and keep in the public domain in order to impress on our elected masters at Oxfordshire County Council that this project will benefit a great many people of all ages and they should stand by their commitment to help to fund it!