PLANS to build a new path to a play park, allowing mums to push their prams there without getting muddy, will be funded by Haverfordwest Town Council.

At its meeting on Wednesday, January 23, the council approved giving £6,425 to Pembrokeshire County Council to build new pathways around Rifleman’s Field play park.

The money will be paid from HTC’s reserves.

Cllr Stella Hooper raised concerns about the decision to fund the new paths, saying it could set an “unsustainable precedent” for other parks asking the town council to pay for upkeep, despite them being owned and maintained by PCC.

“We should look at all of the playing fields in the town and consider whether we want to take on any responsibility for them and manage the playing fields,” she said.

Cllr Hooper said Welsh Government were asking town and community councils to take on more of the duties usually carried out by county councils, and that Haverfordwest Town Council would be following this new plan by adopting the fields.

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The deputy mayor Cllr Alan Buckfield reminded councillors that each application for funding to the town council was looked at for its own merit, and other future funding should not be considered.

“We always look at things in isolation,” he said, proposing councillors pay for the new paths, then look at the future of all parks in the town in the future.

Cllr Peter Lewis was concerned that PCC would not maintain Rifleman Field play park after the paths were built.

Councillors added in a proviso they would only pay the money if PCC adopt and maintain the play area.

Cllr Adrian Griffiths said he had heard concerns about the state of the paths for several years, and described how young mothers were unable to easily push prams to the play area because of mud.