update2

The article voices the disappointment and concerns of the 3 main disciplines that made the Stadium
famous in the sporting world..... Athletics, cycling and small-bore rifle shooting.

The athletes have a 6-lane track instead of the required 8, the cyclists have had their track 'patched
and repaired', which is not satisfactory. There is a long list of complaints and concerns from the
other parties; the above are just 2 examples. The shooters still have nothing.

Wolverhampton councillor Bob Jones once again comes out with statements which are misleading at
best, utter nonsense in others.

Extract from the article:

The council's leisure portfolio holder councillor Bob Jones says notice has been served on the
Wolverhampton Smallbore Rifle Association to terminate its' lease which was about to expire. He says
the range was now derelict because the association had not spent any money refurbishing it. Councillor
Jones says they were currently in consultation with other shooting disciplines including the small bore rifle
association with a view to providing a similar facility.

But he claims they received no co-operation from the association which had refused to attend meetings.

From the news article, the impression is given that consultation by the sports involved was obtained.

Let's make it clear councillor Jones......the shooters were NEVER AT ANY TIME involved in the application,
design, grant process and subsequent spending of the money received by the Lottery Commission and
Sport England. We would dearly have liked to have been included!.

Let's look at the councillor's above statements........the shooters have received notice to quit because they had not
spent any money refurbishing it. Well, we would like to put things right. If they would care to spend some of the
Ł460,000 that was obtained through grants in the name of the shooting range, all would be fine.

Regarding refusal to attend meetings.... don't even suggest such a thing. Meeting after meeting by WSBRA officials,
phone calls, letters....the time spent in trying to obtain information on the rifle range's refurbishment is immeasurable.
This has been going on since 1995.

Also bear in mind that unlike council officials, our work is unpaid and voluntary.

Through non-information by Wolverhampton council, letters have been sent to MP's, Sport England, the Lottery
Commission, and the Ombudsman among countless others.

We had one contact; councillor Joyce Hill - Chair of Leisure Services - who was doing her very best to try and gain
information for us; and indeed herself; as to where and how the money had been spent on the Aldersley project.

At a meeting of the Sports Advisory Council, she voiced her strong concerns to the spending, and her intention of
'going public' to get to the bottom of the spending. Because of this, she lost her job.....

Within a week, she had been removed from office by the Chief Executive!.

Wolverhampton council are having talks with people outside the borough on their plans for our rifle range!.

The Aldersley rifle range was built and paid for by the shooters of Wolverhampton, for the people
of Wolverhampton. Shooters from outside the borough were of course welcomed as members, but it was
always the City's own range. The council leased us the land, that is all. To know that our own
Wolverhampton councillors are now discussing plans with people and associations based outside the City
of Wolverhampton beggars belief. They are willing to discuss plans and spending for the range with these
people, but will not look after Wolverhampton's own, the very people who put it there in the first place.
What is going on here?.