WHY is Wigan Council deciding not to fund the tea rooms at Pennington Hall Park?

Since opening it has been really successful and the people running it have worked very hard.

They are always very cheerful and have decorated it beautifully.

It is always the same old story for Leigh, with Formby Hall closing and now The Rose Centre (Lowton Civic Hall) under threat.

I feel very angry about this and so will many others who enjoy the park even more since the tea room opened.

Perhaps the council could answer some questions, such as where did the funding come from to refurbish Haigh Hall and all the new facilities outdoors which have opened there?

Then there are the repairs to Wigan Town Hall.

Where have savings been made there?

We are not all spending our free time travelling to Wigan for special events etc, and why should we?

Perhaps someone from Wigan Council would like to comment on this.

Name and address supplied

Penny McGinty, assistant director for leisure and property at Wigan Council, said: “Pennington Hall Park is a real asset to our community and we understand how much it means to the residents, which is why we want to secure its future.

“By adopting The Deal principles we believe the venue can be selfsufficient.

“At the moment we are spending more than £100,000 each year to maintain the park, support events and maintain the café.

“With £60 million to save over the next four years we need to make sure the café doesn’t close. Leasing it as a community or commercial asset will ensure its future for people to continue to enjoy the café.

“The redevelopment of Haigh Hall is being funded by Contessa Hotels and the investment in outdoor facilities will help to make the site financially self-sufficient while also improving the health and wellbeing of residents.

“The refurbishment of Wigan Town Hall is saving council tax payers £1 million a year by cutting accommodation costs, including energy bills and ongoing repair work.”