Brighton Bowling Club could close due to council cuts

Brighton Bowling Club said the budget cuts mean it will no longer receive subsidised green maintenance.

The 132-year-old club, the oldest in East Sussex, could be forced to close, leaving dozens of members, many of them elderly, without their hobby.

Howard Funnell (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

Vice-president Howard Funnell, 74, from Hollingdean, said: “It’s good for your mental health and your physical health. I mean, most of our members now are getting on. We're all past retirement age.

“When you've lost somebody like a husband you've got a family here and it’s ultra-supportive. It’s irreplaceable.”

Match secretary John Colban, 85, added: “I would guess half of the club would stop doing any sort of physical activity if we close.

Howard Funnell (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

“It’s a major part of our summer lives.”

Brighton Bowling Club, which is in Knoyle Road, near Preston Park, said it used to pay the council around £4,000 a season to maintain the greens they play on, a fee which is much lower than normal costs.

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However, the service was scrapped in the latest budget. The council said it needed to plug a £30 million hole in its finances.

Howard Funnell (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

The club said it cannot afford to pay the higher maintenance fees that other companies will charge.

It also said the planned savings from scrapping the service would save just 0.4 per cent of the total savings needed by the council.

Brighton Bowling Club was first set up by a group of Brighton councillors in 1892.

Howard Funnell holding the bowls (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

Lead councillor for sport and leisure Alan Robins said: “The council has just had to make cuts of more than £30 million to avoid bankruptcy next year.

“The government has cut our funding by more than £100 million over the last 12 years and there is rising demand for vital services such as adult social care and homelessness.

“We simply don’t have the money to subsidise the costs of clubs such as the Brighton Bowling Club any more.

“We have suggested to the club that many sports clubs increase membership fees and launch recruitment drives when faced with financial issues.”