Two war memorial parks could lose financial support from Slough Borough Council in a bid to save costs.

Langley War Memorial Field and Baylis War Memorial Garden – which are run by council-owned charitable trusts – could have to find their own maintenance funding if councillors agree.

Plans say the parks need to become self-sufficient and financially independent of the council, raising enough money to offset maintenance costs.

Currently the council subsidises its park trusts’ maintenance using money from its environment budget at an estimated cost of £52,000 a year.

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Under the plans, both grounds will continue to be maintained to their current standards until pots of reserve funding run out.

This will be funded by money paid to the council by property developers as part of planning permission agreements for projects that affect the grounds, and which can only be used for this purpose.

In the meantime they will have to find ways to cut their costs – such as by using volunteers – and increase their income from sources such as rental and parking fees.

Langley War Memorial Field has an annual income of some £6,605 but a maintenance bill of £16,605 a year, according to council documents.

It can currently plug the gap using reserves of just under £133,000 from property developers but this is set to run out in 11 years.

Baylis War Memorial Garden – on the eastern tip of Baylis Park – brings in £1,600 a year, and has annual maintenance costs of £9,346 and reserves of £75,800.

Meanwhile, the council is still considering how to fund the playing fields at Salt Hill Park. These are also run by a charitable trust at an annual cost of £56, 588 but with an income of just £16,425 and no additional funding from developers.

Slough Borough Council says that if it stopped its maintenance funding the playing fields could not be kept ‘visually pleasing, clean and safe'. This would mean cutting back ‘grass cutting, hedge and shrub pruning, litter picking in the park and safety inspections of equipment'.

Commissioners appointed by the government have told Slough Borough Council that it must scale back its subsidies for the parks’ charitable trusts. The commissioners were appointed by the government to oversee spending after the council went effectively bankrupt in 2021.

Commenting on the plans, the commissioners said: “The general principle for council charging for services provided is full cost recovery and any deviation from this approach should be justifiable.

“When considering whether to provide subsidies or offer a concession, the council must balance this with its fiduciary duty to general taxpayers and its own overarching financial sustainability.”

Councillors on Slough Borough Council’s trustee committee are set to consider the plans for Langley War Memorial Field and Baylis War Memorial Garden on Thursday, May 9. Further plans for Salt Hill Park are set to be considered later this summer.