A long running row over a village playground has finally been ended.
Elford Parish Council had been forced to answer criticism from HM Revenue and Customs over money raised.
The tax man’s interest came after volunteers raised more than £100,000 in grants and fundraising events over the past ten years.
But the council has now introduced a new a new management structure in an attempt to ensure a bright future for the village’s Memorial Playground.
“Over the last three years external claims have been made about VAT reclaimed by the Parish Council on monies spent building the playground,” said Elford Parish Council chairman Richard Wain. “We have always acted in good faith and have now received confirmation from HMRC that we have no case to answer on this issue.
“Elford is a small village of 240 homes, yet the residents of the village are second to none in supporting fundraising events for groups and societies.
“The volunteer group has worked tirelessly to ensure the village has a facility that we can all be proud of. Many man hours are spent during all weathers cleaning and maintaining the facility.
“The volunteers should be congratulated for their continued hard work and the residents thank them for all the fund raising they do.
“Despite all this, over the last 18 months individuals in both the Parish Council and the volunteer group have been openly criticised by a third party from outside of the village, which is wholly unjustified, particularly when people give up their valuable time on a voluntary basis.”
The village’s new Land Management Committee has been set up to include both parish members and volunteers from the Elford Jubilee Memorial Playground group.
In future, recommendations for replacement equipment will be made by the management committee to the Parish Council. Any funds raised by the playgroup volunteers will now be donated to the authority, once the need for new equipment has been identified.
Meanwhile, a bench inscribed in memory of Bill McCavery has also been provided through funds raised by the volunteer group.
Mr McCavery helped to clean and maintain the playground on a regular basis and also made a huge contribution to the building of the playground. A special handover presentation took place last month attended by Bill’s wife, Jenny, and a number of his relatives.
