A debate over Bedford borough’s revamped tennis courts took an unexpected turn when a councillor complained he had received a “rebuttal” from a council officer – and asked whether that was even allowed.
The exchange came as the Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Thursday, 25 September) discussed the borough’s £400,000 Lawn Tennis Association–funded programme to upgrade tennis courts at seven parks, including Bedford Park, Mowsbury Park and Russell Park.
The scheme, introduced in 2024, saw courts refurbished with new SmartAccess gates and placed under the management of the National Tennis Association (NTA), a non-profit operator.
Under the new model, households can buy an annual £40 pass covering all sites, or pay £6 an hour on a casual basis.
One court at each location is free to play on Sunday afternoons, and in the first year of the scheme, 47 per cent of those free sessions were booked.
According to council figures, 354 household passes covering 683 players generated 6,759 bookings in 14 months, while casual players booked 2,740 sessions – both well above the operator’s initial forecasts.
The report presented to the Committee highlighted these numbers as evidence of success.
But councillor Jonathan Abbott (Lib Dem, Clapham and Oakley) voiced disappointment that access was now restricted to those who could book and pay.
“I think it’s very sad that we’re in a society now where we’re saying if you can’t pay, you don’t play,” he said.
Council officer Paul Pace, the service director for public realm, highways and waste management, responded directly, arguing that without the LTA funding, “we would have had to close probably a good 40 or 50 per cent of the courts.”
Councillor Abbott then questioned whether such a rebuttal was appropriate.
“I made a comment. I wasn’t necessarily expecting a rebuttal from an officer.
“And I want to know, actually, is that allowed? Is that in our procedure,” he asked. “Because I don’t honestly know.”
“I just want to know actually was it right then that there’s a rebuttal thrown back at me.”
Councillor Abbott was told that this would be referred to the council’s monitoring officer.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
