Councillor Stephen McCabe said everything possible was being done to keep fees down by the cash strapped local authority. A , prompting fears that young people are being priced out of the game. A separate report in 2023 found Inverclyde had the third highest charges in Scotland for 3G pitch hire - even though it is one of the country's most deprived areas.
Councillor McCabe said the local authority gave £55,000 in grants to local football teams last year to cover the cost of pitch hire and other expenses. He added: "We provide some of the best facilities in Scotland and try to give local teams as much financial support as possible. "Our overall funding has been cut by the Scottish Government, and council tax has been frozen most years in the last 17 years.
"That means pressure is put on fees and charges including charges for pitch hire. "This is happening across Scotland, and not just in Inverclyde." Cllr McCabe denied pitch hire costs were as high as claimed, citing separate figures from SportScotland which found the Inverclyde fees were eighth highest in Scotland for adults and ninth highest for youths.
The council owns, funds and maintains the pitches and sets the charges through arm's length body Inverclyde Leisure. Mr McCabe added: "The charges for football pitches have had to go up over the years because of the financial pressures on councils. "The council has had to reduce its funding to Inverclyde Leisure because the Scottish Government has reduced its' funding to us.