Northcote netball future in doubt at John Cain Memorial Park
A council in Melbourne’s north has backflipped on a funding commitment for a multi-sports stadium in Thornbury, but is refusing to say why.
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Darebin Council has pulled back on its commitment to fund a multi-sports stadium in Thornbury, now saying decisions are yet to be made on its future.
The move comes as several councillors voted against a “lazy” budget plan and said the council needed to commit to more spending rather than carry a $13 million surplus.
Darebin Mayor Susan Rennie told the Leader no decision would be made on the council fully funding the stadium if it didn’t receive state or federal funding assistance.
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The backflip is in opposition to comments from then mayor Councillor Kim Le Cerf in June last year, when she said the council was committed to delivering the stadium regardless of external funding.
The Leader has backed the stadium, which will benefit 5000 women and girls, as part of our Let Them Play campaign.
When completed, the stadium at John Cain Memorial Park will have four indoor and four outdoor multi-use courts.
Darebin Netball Association president Julie Zucco said the stadium was needed now more than ever and they were battling sports such as volleyball and taekwondo for even 30 minutes of court time.
“We’re struggling to get space, we’re growing significantly, it’s just a constant battle. Trying to get court time is trying to get blood from a stone, it’s crazy,” she said.
Ms Zucco said their association had grown almost 60 per cent in two years and couldn’t take any additional teams.
Council officers have been developing a long term funding plan for the $33.4 million project, which includes a $25.5 million stadium and external works, and set aside $10 million from the 2018/19 and 2019/20 budgets.
Cr Rennie said the money would cover the design phase and initial construction but the total cost of the project would be influenced by the outcome of applications for State Government funding.
The design process has not begun, with a tender expected to be awarded soon and construction to start this year.
The council plans to spend $16 million in 2020-21 and $8.35 million in 2021-22.
These commitments would dwarf single project spends from this years’ budget, which top out at $6 million for a multi-building renewal program.
Councillor Gaetano Greco was one of three councillors who voted against the draft budget.
He said it was “lazy” and the council was not spending enough to support the community.
“We could have done much, much, much more, particularly with the healthy surplus that has been delivered to us,” he said.
The council expects a $13 million budget surplus for the next financial year after earning more than $184 million in income.
The council has almost $1.6 billion in assets.
The community has until May 9 to provide feedback on the budget before it is voted on at the June 24 council meeting.
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