A DISTRICT council hopes to pass on the “burden” of running a popular park to a town council, meaning council taxpayers will foot the bill.

Vale of White Horse District Council would give Wantage’s Liberal Democrat town council £500,000 to take over the running of Wantage Memorial Park in a bid to cut spending.

The deal would mean the seven hectare park, in Manor Road, would be run more locally, possibly with the help of volunteers.

Liberal Democrat town councillor Patrick O’Leary said it could ensure the future of the park.

He said: “One does not know what could happen to the park in the future, and it does not seem unreasonable that, as the town council, we should take control of it.”

But Conservative town councillor John Morgan said £500,000 was not enough as it would cost the town council about £50,000 a year to run the park.

He said: “If it is such a viable thing why is the chief executive so keen to offload it on to the town council and why is he offering so much money? It is going to be a very big weight on the shoulders of everyone in Wantage for years to come.”

Fellow Conservative town councillor Eddy Goldsmith said taking on the park could mean council tax in the town rising by about £14 a year for a Band D property.

He said: “We would be imposing a cost on the rate payers of Wantage they could well do without.”

Only the town council, and not the district council, are allowed to raise council tax specifically to cover the cost of running the park.

Bill Melotti, Conservative district councillor for Wantage Charlton, said: “This is the town council Liberal Democrats letting their Vale colleagues off the hook by taking on something they can legally raise taxes for, but their colleagues cannot.”

District council leader Tony de Vere said further talks are needed before any final decision could be taken.