Many residents have been in contact with me about Harrow Council’s plans to introduce charges on the borough’s council-run tennis courts. 

I and my colleagues in Harrow Labour believe that access to council courts should remain free for everyone, much like access to our parks and playgrounds. The introduction of charges in the midst of a cost of living crisis will disproportionately affect the poorest in our borough, who are already more likely to have limited outdoor and play space of their own.

Before the local elections, the then Labour-run Harrow Council applied successfully to the LTA for funding to renovate all of the tennis courts in Harrow‘s parks. These changes follow earlier investment into Rayners Mead and West Harrow Park to repair tennis courts. It also followed an investment of over £1.1 million into Harrow’s parks to tackle flooding issues and to upgrade children’s play equipment in all the parks too.

The Tory Councillors in charge of Harrow Council want to take the money from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), and then hire a private company to charge local residents up to £8 an hour to use the tennis courts.

We believe our parks and the facilities within them should be available free, shouldn’t be privatised and be available for local people to turn up and use whenever they want to.