Beautiful Spring Day makes us all appreciate why public tennis courts are for the community!

Dear Tennis lovers of Brighton and Hove the need to save our public courts goes on…… Thank you to everyone for your support of our community based proposal, the many ringing endorsements and the constructive feedback is really valued by us all. The latest updates on progress are: The council says previous arrangements will continue! –We are not sure what this means but we think: • There will be collectors once again at the big sites • Smaller sites will have no collectors • Frequent users will be able to book but we are not sure at what cost • There will be no maintenance at any sites We have called out to council officers and councillors that an ideal opportunity is being missed to test a new operating model with online collection and improved signage to change the public perception that tennis is free. No changes this summer makes it even more difficult for a new operator to make the courts viable and it misses an opportunity for the council to pull in much needed funds to support the future of our courts and save them from closure. The council advise that they are still only considering citywide bids, as they believe this will provide a more sustainable solution. They will look to proposals for individual sites only if both citywide options are rejected. A decision on which proposal to take forward will be made by the Environment Sustainability and Transport Committee in June that will be based on: • The content of the proposals • Council officers opinions • Feedback from Clubs, Coaches and players across the city • The LTA will be invited to provide an opinion Final proposals will need to be submitted by mid April. We believe our proposal is good to go and would like it to be adopted for the start of the season but we will take the time to consider more feedback and improve our proposal even further. The council will arrange a citywide meeting at the end of April or early May for clubs and coaches to hear and ask questions to the 2 proposers and to feedback to their membership for a decision on their preference. The council have asked that the proposers engage with user groups and we have been busy sharing the community-based proposal. • 16th Feb – Hove Town Hall – Hove Park Tennis users, councillors and council officers • 2nd March – Badgers Tennis Club – Attended by representatives from Queens Park, King Alfred, Blakers and the Dyke. • 8th March – Hove Park AGM – Invited BPT to present their proposal alongside the community based option • There has also been widespread community discussion with local business, Health and Fitness organisations where synergies may exist and LTA registered coaches across the city. Planned • 21st March we have invited all other parks league clubs to join us and hear our proposal, other groups are also welcome • We are waiting to hear when Park Avenue will reciprocate the opportunity to share out proposal with their members • Mid/End of March we hope we will be provided with the same opportunity as BPT to discuss our proposal with the LTA and council officers. All feedback and suggestions is always welcome, please keep it coming. Today’s glorious spring weather brings it home to us all how important these facilities are, please keep on playing and raising awareness of the threat of closure. Take Care Brighton and Hove Community Tennis Committee