Your Parish Council has recently spent a considerable amount of time and money (your money) repairing the play areas in the Parish to ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone wishing to use the facilities.
Sadly, only a couple of weeks after these repairs had been completed, further wanton vandalism has occurred. We know that you will agree this is a very sad state of affairs and totally unacceptable. We are also sure that you do not want to keep spending your money on repairs to equipment / facilities, due to the actions of a small minority of individuals, who for reasons unknown wish to damage pieces of equipment which are intended to enrich the lives of our younger generation. If this vandalism continues, the Council will have to consider if the provision of these facilities offers good value to Parishioners, as the ongoing cost of repairs will become prohibitive.
The Council categorically does not wish to remove these facilities but we have to be aware of the health and safety risks to users of the equipment and also act in the interests of all the community with a view to the ongoing costs of maintenance etc. The Council had already included in the upcoming budget for a complete revamping / replacement of the Worthington play area and equipment, and improvements to other play areas in the Parish; this represents a considerable investment and we don’t want it to be a waste of YOUR money; we all need to do what we can to prevent this apparently routine vandalism. We can only request that, if anyone has any information as to who is responsible for the damage, they report it to the appropriate authorities, as we all want to live in a Parish where improvements in our environment and facilities are able to be maintained and enhanced, for the benefit of all.
Obviously the Parish Council has reported the incidents to the Police, who have committed to increase their patrols of the areas affected; however they cannot be present all the time and therefore the community’s involvement is essential if we are to stop this abhorrent behaviour.
Thank you.
Worthington Parish Council.