These articles are published in the Slough Town FC programme. The Rebels play in the National League South in a swanky new ground. I’ve been supporting Slough since the beginning of time despite now living in Brighton.

Saturday, April 30, 2022

PARK LIFE

Printed in the National League South game v Dartford Saturday 30th April 2022. Last home game of the season. We lost 6-0 in front of 961

Some people complain that football and politics don’t mix but with Slough Borough Council in financial meltdown, could Arbour Park be under threat?

While the National Audit Office has warned that at least 25 authorities are on the brink of bankruptcy, it’s Slough Council which has the biggest deficit in the country. It’s auditors refused to sign off its accounts and the government appointed commissioners to help sort out the mess, with all non-essential spending frozen and the councils chief executive sacked.


The council will need a minimum of £479 million in support from central government over the next few years – a figure that could be even higher if it fails to meet “challenging” savings targets. These targets include selling off £600 million worth of assets and cutting £20 million from this years budget. Slough’s director of finance Steven Mair said “The seriousness of the council’s financial position cannot be understated” and “will require cost cutting to a degree not seen anywhere else”.


So what has this got to do with Slough Town? Well, the club pay to play at Arbour Park, a council run ground. Could one of those assets that are sold off be Arbour Park?


I spoke to Councillor Rob Anderson, long term supporter of the club and former leader of the council who has now taken up the poison chalice role of lead member for ‘financial oversight, council assets and performance.’ I really take my hat off to people who give up their time to become councillors, and Robs role is particularly challenging.

Q: Given the financial state Slough Borough Council finds itself in, what assurances can you give Slough Town fans that Arbour Park will not be sold off by the Commissioners to help balance the books?

Rob “The Commissioners have been sent in to have oversight of the running and Governance of the Council to make sure that we are making sound, evidence based decisions in our efforts to get the Council back on a firm financial footing. They will only intervene if they believe we are not acting correctly. So far the relationship has worked well.

What we have to do as a council is test all of our operations against Best Value to ensure that we can live within our means in future. All of our assets, including Arbour Park will be appraised as to their cost versus their actual and potential income alongside the aims of the Council.”

Q: If not sold off, what reassurances can be given that the club will not face a debilitating increase in rent?

Rob “As above we will have to assure ourselves and the commissioners that we are getting the Best Value out of all our assets. That isn’t just maximising the short-term financial return, it’s making sure that the asset is contributing to the long-term outcomes the council wants to see.”

Q: Given the council’s ongoing predicament, is there an opportunity for the club to take over the running of Arbour Park?

Rob “We can and will look at all possible options. One of the things we have to do not only with Arbour Park is to find new ways of the council enabling certain services rather than being the direct provider, either through the voluntary sector, trusts, volunteers or others. Our current relationship with the club fits into that mould perfectly so hopefully we can expand and improve on that.”

Q: It takes a lot of time for volunteers to make Arbour Park ready on match days. Could there be more leeway given to the club in terms of having memorabilia inside and around the ground given our contribution to the running of the facility? And Clubshop Sue asked why can't she have her own portacabin in the ground!?

Rob: “That’s certainly something that can be looked at if we can agree a new operating model in the future.”

Q: What are the main revenue streams for Arbour Park outside of Slough Town match days and how do they compare in terms of their contribution to overall revenue?

Rob: “I don’t have the numbers on that level of detail and given what we need to try and achieve would probably be commercially confidential now! What I can say is that I think everyone knows what a good job the club have done with the bar and catering. If we can expand and extend that to the rest of the operation then the benefits to the club AND the Council could be significant.”

Q: What were the annual operating costs of Arbour Park for the last financial year?

Rob: “Again same as above. What we do know though is that the club went through so many years of uncertainty when homeless. When I first met with (former chairman) Steve Easterbrook we talked of creating a permanent home that was safe from either some future owner wanting to cash in on the land, or the Council changing its priorities. The plan was to get the place built, get the club up the leagues and on a sound footing and then see what model we could create to protect it for future generations. Unfortunately by the time it was opened I was not in charge of the council anymore. But I still believe that there is a future model that will suit both the Club and the Council and get a better return for both while giving the club long-term stability. That is what I will be looking for in the coming years as we work through all of this.”

So watch this space.

It takes a monumental volunteer effort to organise match-days. With the close season upon us, the club has some time to breathe. After years of being homeless, Arbour Park has given us the stability we needed to power up the leagues and rebuild our club. In an ideal world just think of what we could do with an events co-ordinator and a community development worker to make the most out of Arbour Park. Burnham have been hoovering up East Berkshire Football League games and even the Slough Town Cup which was traditionally played at Slough. I’m not privy to conversations between the club and the council, but I would be using this opportunity to work with them and the commissioners to make sure the ground is working not just for the Rebels but for the wider community.

Now seems the perfect moment, to take the leap and stamp the Slough Town badge more fully on Arbour Park.

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