THE leader of the Labour group in Basingstoke has said the council’s failure to deliver major improvements to play areas in war memorial park on time is ‘very disappointing’.

Families have been left frustrated after the £495,000 improvement scheme, which began in March, remains unfinished with no opening date set.

As previously reported by the Gazette, the project was significantly delayed past its initial time-scale of six weeks, but now the council says “final issues” are still being resolved before residents can make use of the facilities.

Cllr Andy McCormick (Labour, Brighton Hill), said: “It’s very disappointing that it’s not ready in time for the school holidays.

“I can only think that there may have been some knock-on effects either with the pandemic itself, or lack of lorry drivers for materials, exacerbated by Brexit. But it would have been good to have had some explanation.”

He continued: “One of the things we need to keep on about is project management at the council. If we can’t even get the half-a-million-pound projects right and on time, what hope is there for the five, six million pound projects, or Manydown.”

Cllr McCormick added that he has been trying for years to get new play areas in his ward of Brighton Hill and described the process as “like banging your head on a brick wall”.

“This council really doesn’t have a good track record on play areas,” he said.

“There were opportunities that came out of the pandemic, with people spending more time outdoors, and I would like to see better play areas and more of them in Brighton Hill.”