There has been a lot of activity in the press and through my e-mail account in the last few days about next week’s debate on a private members bill which allegedly seeks to protect playing fields from the avaricious nature of local Councils.
What the Measure does is to place an obligation on Councils to consult more widely before selling off playing fields. This would be in addition to the existing provision to place an advert before open space can be disposed of and be on top of any statutory consultation attached to a planning application. It would involve the Council writing individually to anybody who might have used the playing field or have an interest in its disposal, carrying out an impact assessment and then mailing it to the same consultees. It is tremendously expensive and bureaucratic, more so because at the end of the process there would be no obligation on the Council to take any notice of the outcome of the consultation.
Dai Lloyd, who is sponsoring the Measure argues that the existing consultation framework has the appearance of a “stitch-up and a scam”. He wants to prevent Councils from selling off playing fields altogether. His problem is that the consultation process imposed by his legislation is frankly no different in outcome from that already in place, whilst the Measure does not prevent the sale of playing fields whatsoever. If he had wanted to do that why did he not just insert a compulsory Ministerial consent into the process.
His proposals would also be a problem in instances where the sale of a playing field for redevelopment commands widespread support. I know that this does not seem likely but one such instance would be the ultimate fate of the Vetch Field in Swansea. Under Dai Lloyd’s proposals the Council would be obliged to write personally to the tens of thousands of people all over Britain who have ever enjoyed playing in or watching a match on this playing field to ask their view. It is an impossible task.
As it stands at the moment I could not support this Measure. It does not do what is claimed for it, nor does it seem to be amendable to make it more acceptable. Dai Lloyd says that there are 24 local authority playing fields under threat at the moment. I am not convinced tha his proposals will make any difference to that situation.
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