Tennis fees: ‘You cannot be serious!’ - Ombudsman to probe charges for public facilities at Paddington Recreation Ground
Published: 26 March 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM
THE decision to increase court hire charges for private tennis instructors at Paddington Recreation Ground is to be the subject of an investigation by the local government ombudsman.
It follows an 18-month campaign by three coaches who taught at the park off Randolph Avenue for almost 20 years before fee changes made it too expensive for them to continue.
They accuse Westminster Council of “crippling” their livelihoods in its attempts to make space for cheaper community coaches and strip the sport of its elitist image. The council say that expensive private coaching puts tennis beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Initial proposals to raise charges from £86 a month to £1,000 a month were watered down in the face of widespread opposition from park users and clients, and eventually set at £150.
But despite reaching an agreement, Brad Roberts, Eduardo Caffarena and Nicolas Marinopouos, claim that Nuffield, the private company which runs Paddington Rec on behalf of Westminster Council, are still not playing ball because they do not allow them to advertise on their publicity material.
The coaches are being supported by opposition leaders in City Hall who have branded the situation a “scandal”.
When the contracts were renegotiated back in August 2008, the council argued it wanted to introduce more community coaching sessions for children and those for whom expensive private coaching is simply out of reach.
Mr Roberts said: “It is wrong of Nuffield and the council to make this a battle between private and community coaching, because that is not what has happened at the courts. Even with the lower deal which we accepted, our business has been severely damaged and Paddington Rec is still the most expensive place to teach tennis.
“For coaches like us, we survive by the right marketing and promotion. By not putting us on the brochures most people won’t end up booking us.”
Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, leader of the Labour group, said: “This scandal needs to be exposed and the ombudsman’s investigation is very much a step in the right direction.”
David Kerrigan, Westminster Council’s strategic head of commissioning for sport, said: “We will, of course, co-operate fully with the local government ombudsman and respond to their request for information.
“I am, however, confident that we have provided a fair and appropriate solution to the issues previously raised by the tennis coaches while also delivering the best value to the community from these facilities.”