The Lakenheath Playing Field Association is issuing this statement in response to recent social media activity regarding hire fees for our local sports teams. We would like to use this statement to clarify any information that has been spread across social media, and to hopefully answer questions residents may have.

 

Our Current Position

Firstly, we would like to make it very clear that our intentions are not to “force out” our local sports clubs. We have always, and continue to, recognise the impact that they have on our local youth and adult community.

Before we cover any specifics of the recent social media comments, we would first like to cover how the Lakenheath Playing Field Association is run, what we do, and our current financial position. The Lakenheath Playing Field Association has been a registered charity since 1967/68. We have always, and will always be, a not-for-profit organisation. The Lakenheath Playing Field Association is responsible for Lakenheath Pavilion, the playing fields (with the upkeep and maintenance of the grass looked after by our local football teams), the skate park, the basketball court (“multi-use games arena”), and more recently, the public toilets at Lakenheath Play Park of which we have adopted and re-opened. We also house the recently installed outdoor gym equipment on-site, as we were deemed a suitable location for this, which was paid for by Lakenheath Parish Council. The Lakenheath Playing Field Association is run by a committee of volunteers who dedicate many hours to the running of the organisation. From emptying the bins around the playing fields, to ensuring our books are kept up to date, all of our committee members have a part to play.

The playing fields are rented from Elveden Estate. This land includes the entire boundary of the playing fields, and the site that Lakenheath Pavilion is built on. The Lakenheath Playing Field Association pay Elveden Estate rent every year. (While our annual accounts on the Charity Commission website may not show a rent payment in 2022, due to the timing of the invoices two payments were made in our 2023 accounts - in January 2023 and December 2023). For transparency, our current annual rent of the site is £744.98. It goes without saying that this is not our only expense related to the playing fields. While our rent has stayed the same for the last two years, it would not be unforeseen if this were increased by 10% or more for our next annual payment, inline with a similar increase we faced between 2021 and 2022.

In addition to our annual rent, we have Environment Agency fees, public liability insurance, electricity bills, water bills, refuse collection bills, council rates, and more. Electricity is one of our largest outgoings, which in 2022 came to £13,220, and in 2023 was £11,158. Shortly, our electricity bill is unfortunately going to increase by circa £11,000 per year, due to the end of our current three-year fixed-rate electricity contract in June 2024. This is a 100% increase in our electricity bills.

As of the end of 2023, we have liabilities (loans owed) of £22,000 (originally £50,000 across two loans) and £7,800 (originally £13,765). The £22,000 is the remainder of a second loan to fund the construction of the extension of Lakenheath Pavilion (used by our local sports clubs, and private hirers). To date, we have paid off £28,000 of this loan (excluding interest). We do acknowledge that the local sports clubs certainly helped with the construction of the extension to the Lakenheath Pavilion building, for which we are grateful for. However, there was still a considerable cost to the build overall. The £7,800 is the remainder of a loan from the COVID-19 Bounce Back Loan Scheme, of which was pivotal to our survival during the pandemic. The remainder of the £22,000 owed balance is being paid across the next four years at a total of £5,500 per year. The Bounce Back Loan is due to be paid back by the end of 2026 approximately. Both loans, fortunately, have very generous interest rates.

Historically, we also had a loan from our bank which was used to fund part of the build of Lakenheath Pavilion many years ago. While some of the funding for Lakenheath Pavilion came from grants, it did not cover all the costs. Up until the end of 2023, we were still paying off this loan. The loan is now paid in full. In late 2019, we asked if Lakenheath Parish Council were able to consolidate these loans. However, this was not possible. We hope that we have made it clear that all of our loans have either been necessary to our survival, such as the Bounce Back Loan, or have contributed towards a village asset, in the case of the other loans.

In 2022, Lakenheath Playing Field Association made a loss of £12,580. At this time, we were just coming out of the back-end of lockdowns and the pandemic, and we were also forced to immediately settle one of our loans from the build of the Lakenheath Pavilion extension, which was to the estate of our late Chairman, David Gathercole, who at the time loaned additional money to the Lakenheath Playing Field Association to complete the build. There were also legal fees incurred during this time relating to this settlement. In 2023, while our accounts are yet to be finalised, we expect that we exited the year with a considerably smaller loss of £494. We do not exist to make any profits, and if there are any additional funds left at the end of the year, these funds are put towards new projects. Unfortunately, this has not been the case for the last few years.

The Lakenheath Playing Field Association does not receive regular, ongoing, support from Lakenheath Parish Council. In previous years, we were able to apply for and receive a Section 19 grant from Lakenheath Parish Council each year, but due to their own financial position and the current economy, we can no longer receive this on a recurring basis. However, we did receive a grant from Lakenheath Parish Council towards a specific project in 2024: to replace some of the fencing around the Lakenheath Pavilion entrance, car park, and skate park. This we are very grateful for, and we are sure all residents agree that the whole site looks much nicer as a result. There is still work to do regarding the fencing around the site, some of which the Lakenheath Playing Field Association may be able to fund part of, assuming we can generate the income.

It is unfortunate that Lakenheath Parish Council cannot support us on an ongoing basis, as we would be able to pass this saving onto our regular users. However, we do recognise that the world is in a very different position to what it was a few years ago, and we have learnt and aim to be self-sufficient.

To summarise, in the next 12-18 months, our overall running costs are forecasted to increase by at least 15% (including water rates, insurance and electricity, which the latter as already stated will increase by 100%). We can, and will, absorb some of this increase as best as possible. The events we organise, such as Party on the Pitch; and other seasonal events such as Halloween and New Year’s Eve parties, certainly help to bring money in through our bar which in-turn helps subsidise some of our running costs. In addition, Lakenheath Fete is also a fantastic fundraiser for us. Unfortunately, we cannot absorb all of these cost increases and sadly have to pass some onto our regular users.

We are aware that some residents may feel that we are trying to “force out” the local sports teams in an effort to sell the land for housing. Naturally, with two large-scale housing developments happening in the village, one of them being next door, residents have the right to be suspicious. As we have already mentioned, the Lakenheath Playing Field Association does not own the land, we rent it. As with most rent agreements, we have a lease, and this lease is valid to 2034. When this lease is nearing its end, we will meet with Elveden Estate, to discuss the renewal of the lease. If Elveden Estate decide to sell the land we rent instead of renewing our lease, this would firstly not be the decision of the Lakenheath Playing Field Association, but the Lakenheath Playing Field Association would also do everything possible to stop the land being sold for development, including purchasing the land, if feasible, to completely secure the future of Lakenheath Playing Fields. It’s not lost on us that Liberty Gate was also land sold by Elveden Estate, but Liberty Gate was farming land, and not a playing field with various other amenities and village assets - a completely different use case. With this in mind, we hope this puts you at ease that houses will not be appearing on Lakenheath Playing Fields any time soon.

 

Our Local Sports Clubs

Up until now, we have been the home of three local sports clubs: Lakenheath Cricket Club, Lakenheath Youth Football Club, and Lakenheath Casuals Football Club. Each organisation has different use cases for the site, different arrangements in place, etc. We recognise that all of our local sports clubs have different needs and require different services and amenities.

At the time of settling the monies owed to the estate of David Gathercole, it was strongly advised by our solicitors that we should have formal agreements in place with our regular users. This was not just limited to the local sports clubs, but others such as the Lakenheath Little Fishes nursery group. It’s common practice for organisations to have formal agreements in place with users of facilities, particularly where money is exchanging hands. As a committee, we decided to take the advice of our solicitors. This would then protect all users of the facilities, in-case any party were to face any kind of issue in the future.

As noted, each organisation has different use cases for the site, and there are currently informal agreements in place for each users’ responsibilities which we have aimed to formalise as part of a “licence agreement” issued to each organisation. Naturally, each party has their own point of view, but all work for the benefit of their own respective organisations. The licences, when issued, were not final, and at all stages we are open to discussing the terms within them to ensure we can come to a solution that works for all parties. We fully accept that we will not get the terms of these licence agreements right first time. At the end of the day, we are all working towards the same goal – providing assets and facilities for Lakenheath village.

There has been some discussion on social media regarding the fees quoted in the licence agreements we have issued. We would like to dispel any misinformation that has been spread across social media, and, where it is appropriate to discuss it, set the record straight on the fees quoted and some of the details of these agreements.

To be clear, we would love to offer our facilities to local organisations for free. By “facilities”, we mean the usage of the land, the function rooms inside Lakenheath Pavilion, and the toilets/changing rooms. Unfortunately, we have our own costs to pay. We covered our key costs in the previous section, and our regular users do form part of why we have these costs. Whether it is the usage of the function room in the extension, electricity for floodlights, or water usage for showers, our regular users impact these costs. They are not the sole reason why we have these costs, as the building can be hired for private events, we run our own events, etc. However, with all this in mind, we cannot offer the facilities for free.

It has been quoted, that we have “increased fees by 150%”. This is false. However, we realise how some may have came to this figure, and we would like to explain how this is not the case. We believe this figure came off the back of a potential agreement that was proposed as an option to Lakenheath Cricket Club. It’s not the agreement that either party intend to move forward with.

Lakenheath Cricket Club Agreement

Lakenheath Cricket Club, in 2023, paid the Lakenheath Playing Field Association a fee of £2,000 for usage of the facilities. These facilities included the changing rooms, usage of the extension function room, and usage of the site. As this agreement has always been informal, there have always been some internal debates as to who can use which facilities when. During the process of putting together the licence agreement for Lakenheath Cricket Club, we put forward two proposals in the form of two draft licence agreements.

Proposal one offered Lakenheath Cricket Club exclusive usage of the extension room. This agreement would have had to ensure all of Lakenheath Playing Field Association’s own bills and expenses relating to this room, including loans and utilities, were covered by any fee in place. We recognise that this agreement, in its draft form when issued, was not perfect and had additional arrangements to work out, such as arrangements with football clubs using the room. However, it was an avenue the Lakenheath Playing Field Association were more than willing to explore with Lakenheath Cricket Club. The annual fee for this licence agreement would have been £5,000 per year.

This amount would not only cover all the Lakenheath Playing Fields Association bills and expenses relating to the room, but Lakenheath Cricket Club would also have had access to the room however and whenever they pleased, and the Lakenheath Playing Field Association would not have used, or hired out the room, to any other third parties. £2,000 to £5,000, was a 150% increase, but this agreement offered considerably more freedom to Lakenheath Cricket Club.

As we have stated, this was not the only agreement on the table. The exclusive usage agreement was ruled out as a viable option early on. Therefore, after discussions with Lakenheath Cricket Club, the agreement that is currently being issued has only a 4% increase in the yearly fee, from £2,000 to £2,080. This agreement continues to offer the club usage of the room on match days, for a number of fundraising events, after a weekly netting practice, a monthly committee meeting, and usage of the changing rooms/showers. At the same time, it allows residents to also hire the room for functions, just as anyone can hire the Lakenheath Pavilion main hall. We are close to reaching this agreement after discussions with Lakenheath Cricket Club, and we hope to have it formally agreed with the club very soon.

In conclusion, we are only raising Lakenheath Cricket Club’s annual fees by 4%, on an agreement that we have discussed and came to with the club. On the assumption that the club has no objections to the final agreement, we hope to have this signed and in place very soon.

Lakenheath Youth Football Club & Lakenheath Casuals Football Club

Our agreement with Lakenheath Youth Football Club has always been different to that of any other club. There is currently an informal agreement in place that the club will maintain the grass, maintaining the playing fields beyond what is required as a playing fields to a local football pitch standard, with more regular cutting, regular irrigation, etc.

It’s not lost on the Lakenheath Playing Field Association that the football clubs do put in a lot of work and hours into maintaining the grass to a high standard. In our draft agreement issued to Lakenheath Youth Football Club and Lakenheath Casuals Football Club, there are reductions in the fees proposed as payment for some of the grass cutting, as well as the opportunity to claim back from the Lakenheath Playing Field Association 50% of the costs of mower fuel and repairs.

We have landed on the 50% figure because the grass, to be of a football pitch standard, needs to be cut and irrigated more regularly than it would if it were just used as a playing fields. We want to ensure that we are keeping up our end of the agreement, and ensure the club are not bearing costs that are the responsibility of the Lakenheath Playing Field Association.

In 2020, the football clubs paid a combined total of £2,400 in fees to the Lakenheath Playing Field Association. £1,900 from Lakenheath Youth Football Club, and £500 from Lakenheath Casuals Football Club. Both organisations have grown since 2020, and require more usage of the site since that time. It should also be noted that neither of the football clubs have paid fees since that year, due to various reasons including the pandemic, the club paying for large expenses/repairs on our behalf, etc. We do not view this as an issue; these payments are not required. Our new agreements outline the responsibilities of all parties with the intention to ensure all parties are treated fairly, and the right parties are responsible for their respective costs.

Our new agreements, at present, do feature an increase, when compared against the 2020 fees. We have already outlined our own increasing costs, and the need to be self-sufficient without external funding, which is why these increases are unfortunately needed.

At present, we are still in the early periods of discussion regarding these agreements with the relevant clubs. We fully accept that we may not have taken into consideration all of the expenses the football clubs are incurring on our behalf. Once we have met and discuss the proposed licence agreements with the clubs, both parties will have a clear understanding of each party’s costs and come to an agreement that is suitable for all.

We are already planning to meet with Lakenheath Youth Football Club in the very near future to discuss the licence agreement, and at that point we are very confident that an agreement will be reached.

Regarding the Lakenheath Casuals Football Club, it is unfortunate that they have felt the need to re-locate or fold some their teams. We feel it is important to note that we received information that some teams were folding at least a day before we delivered the proposed agreement. As with all the licence agreements we have issued to our regular users, they are open for discussion, and we have offered the club the opportunity to discuss the agreement. Unfortunately, it appears Lakenheath Casuals Football Club have already decided to move on, and that there were plans in place for some teams to fold already. We wish both the club and members well with their future endeavours.

As we are still in the early stages of discussions regarding these agreements, it would not be appropriate for us to comment on any further specifics, including fees, at this time. It is likely the agreement will undergo various changes before being finalised and signed by both parties. In the case of Lakenheath Cricket Club’s license agreement, where we have already had the discussions with the club, we have disclosed the specifics of the agreement in this statement. We are not at this point yet with Lakenheath Youth Football Club.

Please rest assured there are no 100%, or even 150%, increases in the proposed agreements. There is naturally an increase on 2020’s fees. These increases needed to reflect our own running cost increases, and as the clubs have grown since then, the usage of the site increases. While the clubs themselves maintain the grass to an excellent standard, the Lakenheath Playing Field Association still cover the other costs such as site maintenance, building maintenance, utility bills, etc, that are all impacted by increased usage as clubs grow.

We are looking forward to discussing and resolving any issues Lakenheath Youth Football Club have with their licence agreement in the near future.

 

Conclusion

We continue to recognise the need for the sports clubs in our village. There is no doubt about that. Each organisation aims to work alongside each other, not against each other.

We hope that this statement helps to not only answer some of the questions residents may have, but also dispel any misinformation that is being spread.

We are very confident that these issues will be resolved soon.

We are happy to answer questions relating to this statement. Please feel free to email our public Lakenheath Playing Field Association email address: secretary@lakenheathplayingfields.org, or comment on the Facebook post linking this statement. We do ask that everyone remains civil and polite on this matter. Behind everything that is happening, there are real people dealing with this situation on both sides. As such, any inflammatory comments will be ignored. We understand emotions can run high during these situations, but it’s important to always remain respectful on all sides. Please allow some time for us to get back to you with responses, as some questions may not be answerable straight away, and as a voluntary organisation we must manage this situation around our own personal lives and jobs as well.

Only social media responses from the “Lakenheath Pavilion” social media accounts should be regarded as official responses.

We do acknowledge the length of this statement, but we believe every part of this statement is essential to provide the full picture. We hope that you now understand the situation better. As always, there are two sides of any story, and it is now up to individuals to interpret each side and come to their own conclusion.

Thank you for taking the time to read this statement, and we look forward to having the situation resolved soon.

 

The Lakenheath Playing Field Association