Questions have again been raised over why newly refurbished tennis courts in Thanet are still unbookable and have been contracted to an out of area organisation to manage.
The refurbished tennis courts remain unused despite being completed at the start of Summer because there is currently no way to book sessions.
Thanet council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) joined forces in January for a project to invest £283,234 to renovate six courts at Spencer Square and Montefiore Games Centre in Ramsgate; Memorial Recreation Ground, Broadstairs; Hartsdown Park and Westbrook Games Centre, Margate and St Mildred’s Games Centre in Westgate-on-Sea.
Work had been due to be completed by the end of April, however this overran at courts including Westgate which was still waiting for nets to be installed in June.
Residents are due to be able to book the tennis courts online via the LTA website www.lta.org.uk/play, subject to a booking fee, but currently only Broadstairs and Spencer Square in Ramsgate, which is being looked after by Infinity Tennis, are given as bookable options on the LTA site. Courts at Hodges Gap are also bookable via the LTA site.
The contract to operate and maintain the courts was awarded to the National Tennis Association which has bases in London, Norwich and Swindon.
But four of the courts remain unbookable and weeds have started growing at the sides of the new surface on at least one site.
Gavid Vickers, who runs Infinity Tennis sessions at Spencer Square courts, was one of the forces behind the initial bid to gain grant money. He teamed up with Your Leisure to bid for the contract to oversee the courts but was not chosen by Thanet council.
He said: “I alerted (TDC) to the £280k funding opportunity and was on their case so they did not lose that pot of money.
“I understand that does not guarantee preferential treatment but we expected to be treated fairly.”
The aim was for Your Leisure to run the courts, maintenance, membership and fee collection while Infinity Tennis provided coaching sessions and participation.
Gavid said: “This is work we already do in Thanet and East Kent so we put in a bid along those lines. It was quite a strong bid.”
Infinity Tennis is carrying out a schools’ programme this year and working on after-school sessions too. There are a number of young coaches, and apprenticeship coaches, working with Gavid who would have been part of the Thanet tennis courts team.
But the Your Leisure/Infinity Tennis bid lost out by 0.25 of a point, apparently related to the National Tennis Association offering a web chat function.
Gavid says this ignores a scant social media presence from NTA and a lack of people on the ground in Thanet.
He added: “I feel like (TDC) were bamboozled by a posh brochure. I’m not a council basher but this is another own goal. The council had an opportunity to work with local providers to create a legacy project for local people.
“Now we have new facilities that no-one can get access to and the NTA are advertising for a coach for 10 hours, you can’t deliver anything across six venues in 10 hours (per week).”
Your Leisure runs Deal Indoor Tennis Centre and the Victoria Park outdoor courts in Deal and has headed up Junior Tennis Academies. It works with the Lawn Tennis Association as well as other local court/ tennis providers.
Infinity Tennis provides coaching programmes for all ages and skill levels. At Spencer Square there has also been the creation of a new cafe and community space, a hub for local groups to meet and people to connect.
The tennis business also provides apprenticeships and inclusive tennis aimed at people with mobility impairments, the elderly, or newcomers to the sport plus a Rally for Change programme that aims to open up tennis to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Lease
Thanet council previously said the courts are expected to go on the booking system “soon” but some aspects of the lease with the new operating partner needed to be finalised.
A spokesperson added: “In the meantime, courts can be booked at: Margate Lawn, Margate, St Peter’s, Broadstairs and Spencer Square, Ramsgate
“There are also free to play courts accessible at Palm Bay, Margate and Warre Recreation Ground, Ramsgate.”
An NTA spokesperson said: “Although we have been awarded the contract via Thanet council we have not yet started operating.
“We are a national operator and run over 30 park projects similar to this across the UK. We are a team of nearly 100 core staff.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure all the legalities are sorted and hopefully we can launch very soon. We share (the) frustration that the courts are shiny and new and ready to be used.”
Thanet council has been asked why the decision was made to award the contract to NTA. A response has not yet been received.
