BARNARD Castle’s mini-golf course should be handed over to a business, members of the town council heard.
The authority manages and maintains the facility at Scar Top but it has been suggested that it would be easier if a third party had control of the asset. Cllr Paul Ing told the resources committee that this would save on town council staff time and solve a number of problems, such as whether the town council introduces contactless payments.
The mini-golf course normally makes enough profit to pay for itself but made a small loss due to Covid-19 lockdowns last year.
Cllr Ing said: “Could we lease off the mini-golf to a third party? We’d be paid a rent and they’d get the profits. I’m sure there are people around in Barnard Castle who would like to take it on. It [ the mini-golf course] seems to be a continuous issue – things get damaged and there’s the general maintenance. The solution could be outsourcing it.”
Cllr Ing described it as a perfect opportunity to get a steady income without the problems of managing the course. He said it would be an ideal job for a businessperson who had recently retired.
Cllr Laura Drew, chairwoman of the committee, asked how other councils manage their courses. She was told Saltburn’s mini-golf is also run on a commercial basis by a third party.
Town clerk Martin Clark said the idea could be explored in the future.
The suggestion came about after a discussion about bringing in a contactless payment system at the course, which reopens on July 17.
The meeting heard that banking fees for credit card payments could make this expensive. The town council agreed to get more information and councillors were told the season would begin with a cash-only system.
