A Dumfries-based football club has finally netted nearly £40,000 from Dumfries and Galloway Council following an eight-year wait for the cash.
Nithsdale area committee this week approved updated proposals for new facilities from Heston Rovers, granting the club £39,448.
The confirmation of the grant – which was first applied for in 2015 – means that the club can now tap into further funding from the Scottish Football Association, which will increase their budget to over £100,000.
The cash is to be spent on making alterations to the alarm and door system at St Joseph’s College, where they use the 3G pitch, make improvements to the playing surface, build a dugout, create a covered spectator area, and also make improvements to grass pitches at their Maryfield base nearby.
While councillors unanimously supported approving the grant application, some were not happy that the five-figure sum was ringfenced for eight years due to various stumbling blocks over the years.
Councillor Jim Dempster said: “I wonder how often we could have used that £40,000 to support needy projects from 2015 until now. How this has managed to avoid coming to members’ attention over an eight-year period just escapes me.
“The worry I have is that the figure that was originally committed is simply now being used to identify projects, rather than projects being identified and an appropriate funding package being sought.
“I’m really not happy with it. It says quite clearly on page 37 (of the council report), ‘this is different from the original grant application and grant award’.
“It’s not about Heston Rovers, it’s about council policy and our procedures.”
Provost Maureen Johnstone, chairwoman of Nithsdale area committee, said: “I share similar concerns on this.”
Council officer Derek Hextall, who has been working alongside Heston Rovers on bringing forward their updated application, said: “I’ve highlighted in the report there’s been a number of issues that the organisation have had to work through to bring back a future proposal.
“I think it was always the intention to bring back an updated proposal once discussions with officers had taken place.”
Nith Councillor Malcolm Johnstone said: “I’m looking at this almost as if it’s a new application. If this was a new application presented to us, I don’t think there would be any problem with anyone supporting it.”
