People in Kidlington face a dramatic hike in their council tax due to the spiralling costs of a new sports ground, writes Richard Abbott.

When demand notices drop through residents' letter-boxes, they will show an increase of 35 per cent in the parish precept from £281,112 to £379,500, which includes a lump sum of £50,000 for the Stratfield Brake sports centre.

The overall charge for a band D property rises from £774.84 to £852.74.

Parish councillors reluctantly agreed to the increase after being told they were liable for the business rates and day-to-day running costs of the ground, built last year next to the Kidlington roundabout. Parish clerk Trish Redpath said: "It was quite unforeseen. When it opened we took an option for the sports clubs to undertake management. We naively hoped that we could keep the costs down by doing this. We now realise that we need professional help to maintain the place and keep it tidy. We were also shocked at our estimated rates.

"As Kidlington is very closely budgeted and we don't have much money in reserve we have had to put £50,000 aside as a worst case cost. We are hoping it will be less. Unfortunately, the council tax must bear the brunt."

At a council meeting, some members said that if the expenses involved had been known at an earlier stage they might not have supported the scheme.

But villagers have warmly welcomed the ground and councillors are keen to make it a long-term success. The £1.8m ground was built with the help of a £1.2m lottery grant from Sport England and cash from Cherwell District Council. The running costs are paid by Kidlington Parish Council with smaller contributions from Gosford and Water Eaton Council and local sports clubs.

The facilities include a pavilion featuring changing rooms, lounge and bar, three rugby pitches, two cricket pitches and a running track.

Story date: Wednesday 22 March

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.