Parliament Hill Bowls club could be cuts victim - Heath chairman Michael Wellbank gives bleak assessment

Published: 03 March 2011
by DAN CARRIER

WIDE-ranging cuts to the fund that bankrolls Hampstead Heath look likely to spell the end of the Parliament Hill Bowling Club – as part of a comprehensive package that will see over £500,000 shaved from the budget annually.

In a bleak assessment, Heath chairman Michael Wellbank warned that services such as litter picking and planting new flower beds would also have to bear the brunt of cuts. He added currently unfilled posts would not be advertised and people may be encouraged to move jobs to fill gaps.

The cash that funds the Heath comes from a private fund called City Cash which is boosted by endowments and managed by the City’s stockbrokers. It bankrolls parts of the City of London’s work they do not have to legally do as a local authority – including the upkeep of the Heath.

But the recession has hit returns and the City has suffered. Currently the Heath costs around £6million a year to run – and a budget report put forward this month suggests savings of at least 10 per cent.

Mr Wellbank said: “The fact is our funds have gone down and our costs have gone up. We have been running at a  deficit and it’s got serious. We have no choice but to reduce expenditure. We are lucky it is only 10 per cent – the Royal Parks are facing a reduction of 30 per cent.”

But the savings could spell the end of the Parliament Hill Bowling Club, which has been in situ for nearly 100 years.

He said: “None of our sports facilities pay their way and we do not expect them to – but we do expect them to contribute, which we think is reasonable. At the moment, the bowling club costs a lot to run and does not have enough members. It is a declining sport and there are two other clubs within 10 ­minutes.”