NOT only are councillors squeezing every last penny out of the council tax payers of Blackburn and Darwen, but they are now robbing children's piggy banks to pay for their perk-induced utopia of a unitary authority.

A couple of weeks ago, as secretary of a youth football club, I received an application form to renew our club's usage of the Shadsworth astro turf facilities.

Attached was a note informing us that we must now pay three months in advance. That means we must now find £540 before October to enable three of our teams to train on a dilapidated floodlit surface during the winter period.

Everybody involved in local youth and junior football does so on a voluntary basis and clubs pay for training and match fees, etc, from weekly subscriptions from players.

Additionally, the charges for the use of the facilities have increased by 20 per cent with no improvement in service provided.

Can I remind the council's Labour group that nationally their party is promoting the participation in sport, and it would be very interesting to hear how Sports Minister Tony Banks would view Blackburn Labour group's attitude - that you can participate if you can afford it. Our club is not alone and the feeling against Blackburn Council is one of anger at such a despicable act, fuelled by the way the council's couldn't-care-less attitude with regards to the facilities that they provide for all junior and youth football.

Considering the state of pitches at Blacksnape, Pleckgate and Everton, where children are expected to learn and enjoy the national game, I would be very surprised if any of these venues have seen either a ground roller or any form of maintenance over the past 12 months.

Club and league comments have fallen on deaf ears and a number of Blackburn teams have already moved their matches out of the borough.

It leaves us with three options for the winter period:

1. Not to train from October to March

2. Ask players to pay a large sum in advance

3. Move the club's base to Hyndburn, where, it seems, pitches and training facilities are maintained to a decent standard. The latter seems to be favourite at the moment - which is unfortunate as we were proud to use the name of the town in the club's title, and it would also involve lots of voluntary transport getting Blackburn-based children to and from venues.

So if any councillors are reading this in their free copy of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, perhaps they should make a couple of phone calls on their free mobile

phones and, if they wish, read this letter again on our club's website on their free lap-top computers. Then perhaps they can add to their already exorbitant expenses by holding a meeting to sort out the facilities they provide.

The Secretary, Blackburn (for the time being) Dynamos YFC (Name and address received).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.