TOWN councillors in Bradford on Avon have voted to share the £2,000 cost of repairs to the St Aldhelm play area after a long and acrimonious debate.

At a full council meeting on Tuesday, they agreed to pay half if the Bradford on Avon Area Board shoulders the other half.

Wiltshire Council closed the play area in July saying it could not afford to pay for repairs to black safety matting and equipment.

The play area is one of the assets the town council hopes Wiltshire Council will transfer to its control.

At a recent Community and Recreation committee meeting, some councillors said they should stand firm and not give in to Wiltshire Council’s political blackmail.

Most councillors felt that local children should not be made to suffer just because some had decided to stand firm on the issue.

Cllr Simon McNeill-Ritchie is one who believes the town council should refuse to pay for the repairs on a ‘point of principle’ until the play area is transferred.

“We all want to do our best for the play areas but the bigger picture is that we are finding ourselves in an endless cycle of patching up their negligence.”

Cllr McNeill-Ritchie accused Wiltshire Council of acting “absolutely immorally” over refusing to pay for the repairs, while Cllr Dom Newton said the county had a deliberate policy of expecting local parish and town councils to do it for them.

Cllr Laurie Brown urged the council to make the repairs immediately and split the cost with the Bradford on Avon Area Board.

He said the council should “exchange correspondence” with Wiltshire Council to speed up the transfer of assets.

After a long debate, councillors agreed to pay towards the cost of the repairs so the play area can be re-opened as soon as possible.