One councillor said facility had gone “third world,” with not only no heating or hot water facilities for staff and visitors, meaning no showers, but it was also without a functioning main sports hall for the last three years
A community sports centre that has had no heating or hot water for the last four months will have to go without until the New Year.
In November an Ards and North Down councillor said that it was a “shame and disgrace” that Portaferry Sports Centre has had no heating or hot water since the summer.
Councillor Joe Boyle, who represents the Ards Peninsula at Ards and North Down Borough Council, told fellow elected representatives the facility had gone “third world,” with not only no heating or hot water facilities for staff and visitors, meaning no showers, but it was also without a functioning main sports hall for the last three years.
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The centre is run by Ards and North Down Council in a joint arrangement with the nearby St Columba’s College secondary school. Council officers said a replacement would cost around £30,000 but said it was “a matter for the school and Education Authority to resolve, not the council.”
However, at the December meeting of the council’s Active and Healthy Communities Committee, an official said after discussions the council and the EA would be splitting the bill, with the greater share being paid by the council.
The council official told elected members: “There has been quite a lot of work going on in the background since our last committee meeting in relation to liaising with our partners in the Education Authority, the Department of Education and internally within the council.
“As a result of that, and perhaps as a result of some of the high profile media attention that was given to the Portaferry Sports Centre following our last meeting, there has been some progress, and a meeting was set up.”
She said: “They have jointly come to the agreement that the boiler is going to be replaced, and there is going to be a division in the funding, based on the maintenance contract that currently sits between the Education Authority and the council. It will be based on the same proportions, 65 percent with the council, and 35 percent with the Education Authority.
“This wasn’t the council’s starting position, but based on management agreement, it was viewed by officers as a reasonable approach. We are very concerned about our service users, and the health and welfare elements of our staff as well.”
She said the council would do the work, pay the bill and the Education Authority would pay them later.
She said: “The boiler will be in the council’s possession before Christmas, and it will be installed in the early weeks of January. It is unfortunate that it has taken us to get to this point, where there has been a number of months where there hasn’t been heating or hot water at the site. But it just shows the power of the committee, to try to progress things.”
She added: “In relation to the sports hall floor, there isn’t really an update to that, the focus for officers has been in relation to the boiler, because of the imminent risk there.” She said the council was “pushing” the EA for progress on the sports hall floor.
SDLP Councillor Joe Boyle told the chamber at the committee meeting he wanted to “put on record” his thanks to the council director and other council members for their “ongoing efforts.”
He added: “It is very disappointing that both the Department for Education and the Education Authority have been dragged kicking and screaming to the table to try and deal with something they had an onus to deal with anyway. I thank the council for stepping in and doing their bit.”
He added: “That is great we are going to get some hot water and some heating four months down the line. I still think if it was anywhere else it would have been done and fixed within 24 hours. But we are geographically isolated, and sometimes out-of-sight is out-of-mind.
“In relation to the floor, I am disappointed there is still no movement, because that is not three months, it is three and a half years. So that is three and a half years without the main floor, and this council’s loss of revenue, because we can’t use those customers we used to hire it out to. And I know one sporting body in particular who is probably the best customer we had.”
The council officer said in relation to the Education Authority: “There hasn’t been an acceptance of responsibility for the floor.”
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