A SPORTS organisation is set to benefit from an annual payment from Oswestry Town Council after councillors agreed to a request for funds.

Oswestry Sports Forum (OSF), founded in the 1970s, supports individuals and clubs in the town providing for training and access through grants, and has awarded more than £17,000 in the last years, under a strict process.

This, according to the letter requesting help from Oswestry Town Council, is in order to avoid misuse of funds and now the OSF says it is running shorter of the funds it received after the previous borough council dissolved, as well as other one-off grants.

Councillor Mark Jones supported the application for the stipend.

He said: "Oswestry Town Council struggles to fund some groups through grants with monies left over.

"This is a quite good way to get money to sportspeople through the sports forum and it goes a little way to families who can’t afford to get their children into sport.

"I would like to see them given £3,000 to get them started.

"They do have a board and children go before them to explain why they need the money and it’s a great cause to support."

Current mayor, Cllr Jay Moore, backed the motion but added his concerns over a long-term pledge of support.

He said: "Initiatives like this are great and I am happy to support them.

"My only concern is with an annual amount is that Covid has shown that we have to be flexible so committing to long-term could be detrimental to us.

"It could set a dangerous precedent."

Cllr Gemma Cassin added: "Anything that encourage sports or people to play them is good and is OSF seems a good organisation.

"But I agree with the mayor that an ongoing annual subscription is a lot to ask and a limited look at this is a good idea."

Cllr Jones agreed and recommended that the stipend only be put in place until the end of this current council in 2025.

Councillors agreed that £3,000 per year for the next years would be paid to OSF.

Meanwhile, a request by Oswestry Town Council operations manager Henry Teuma for parking wardens to be given body worn cameras may be rolled out to all public-facing staff.