Staffordshire Moorlands District Council was questioned on their plans for a Leek Bowling Club after it received no mention in its latest investment plan.

Cllr Lytton Page submitted a question regarding Brough Park Bowling Club ahead of a meeting of the council's Service Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Panel this week.

Cllr Page asked what plans the council had to improve the club after raising concerns that it received no mention in the authority's Play and Outdoor Sports Facilities Investment Plan.

Cllr Page said: "The Play and Outdoor Sports Facilities Investment Plan Report in agenda item 8 mentions no investment to Brough Park Bowling Club. Members and players of this facility have been let down for many years with the poor condition of the lawns and inadequate maintenance. What plans do SMDC have to improve this essential physical recreational facility for the community?"

The council's deputy leader, Cllr Mark Deaville, replied that been in discussions with the club regarding its maintenance for several years.

He said: "Whilst the report being presented at tonight's Panel focuses on Play and Outdoor Sports facilities investment, it doesn't consider maintenance of our sports pitches which is when the bowling green would usually be considered.

"We can confirm that officers have been having intermittent conversations with the chairman of Brough Park Bowls Club, supported by Cllr Lytton Page over a sustained period, mainly regarding the maintenance regime undertaken on the men's bowling green, following an approach by them in 2019. These conversations spanned the various lockdowns enforced by the pandemic and included officers providing an itemised maintenance schedule of the work undertaken by Glendale on the green, which has an overall value of £15,000pa."

He also went into more detail about the various types of maintenance that were required at the club and how much they might cost, adding: "At the time, the club were considering whether they would be able to take on the maintenance either to undertake fully or partially themselves, which follows an approach the Alliance has taken before with bowling clubs in the High Peak. During April 2021, it was confirmed this was not deemed possible and the club wished to continue with the existing schedule of maintenance arrangements via Glendale. In March 2022, officers approved a programme of additional maintenance to the bowling green to help preseason works, primarily involving selective weed killer and fertilization. This was well received by the club chairman and since this time, we have not received any further complaints regarding the condition of the green.

"The condition of bowling greens, as with any fine turf pitches, can be greatly be affected by adverse weather conditions which are out of everyone's control. Periods of very wet weather can have a negative effect on the green, as can periods of very dry weather and it is periods of dry weather which the club have raised as a concern due to the greens not having any built in irrigation system. The possibility of installing a retrofit irrigation system which utilises rainwater collection technology have been discussed previously, however with the estimated cost for installing of c.£10,000 a coordinated approach to securing these funds would be required. It is viewed that this type of system could be beneficial, but the use of it would need to be managed carefully to ensure it complements the maintenance provided by Glendale, as over watering or watering at the wrong time could have a negative impact, rather than a benefit."

He summarised how much the council spends on the club's maintenance and how it could be considered in the future, saying: "In summary, the Council spends approximately £15,000pa on the current maintenance regime for this bowling green which is considerably more than any other single sports pitch in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Consideration as to whether the Council should fund a further and sustained increase must therefore be carefully considered, as should using more creative ways to enhance maintenance, via use of external grant funding or with support from club members."

The full meeting can be watched on the webcast portal on the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council website.