Council SNP group leader Chris McEleny has reacted angrily after discovering Inverclyde Leisure (IL) is asking for a £1 fee from kids who turn up to play unarranged games on the artificial 3G pitch at Battery Park.

The Gourock councillor claims the charge flies in the face of the local authority’s free pitch hire policy for under-16s teams and wants it scrapped immediately.

Dozens of parents and constituents have vented their anger about the charge on Facebook.

Cllr McEleny, above right, said: “It is absolutely ridiculous that children are being asked to pay £1 to get onto a park that’s lying empty to kick a ball about for a short time.

“One parent contacted me to tell me they were asked to pay £2 to take their children on to the pitch to kick a ball into the goals for five minutes.

“That’s simply not acceptable.

“We have a Labour-run administration that claims to offer free football pitch access to children in Inverclyde.

“This is clearly not the case and this charge must be scrapped immediately.

“This is completely at odds with the policy of having free play for children.” The SNP councillor says he’s written to council chief executive John Mundell in a bid to have the charge booted out.

Cllr McEleny said: “I have contacted the chief executive and I have also asked the council’s Labour-run administration to support scrapping this charge.

“I hope they will see sense and agree that to charge children to access a pitch that is lying empty is just not acceptable.

“Encouraging children to be active and not pricing them out of doing so should be a priority for Inverclyde.

“Scrapping this charge will prove that.” But IL today stood by the charge and pointed out that grass areas are available for free to youngsters who fancy an organised kickabout.

David McCorkindale, IL’s head of leisure and community facilities, said: “If customers wish to use the 3G park there is a current charge in place, in terms of the grass park area at the Battery there is no charge in place for this and to my knowledge has never been unless this is a scheduled game requiring goals and markings.

“I feel Cllr McEleny has misinterpreted this situation and should have contacted staff at Inverclyde Leisure for further clarification on this position.

“The current policy in place was that charges would be waived for under-16 football teams playing in a recognised league and were constituted and part of an affiliated club.

“I’m sure customers appreciate we have employee costs, maintenance, insurance, etc. to consider when setting these charges.” Council and Labour group leader Stephen McCabe, above left, says the issue is a matter solely for IL as park operators to decide on.

Mr McCabe said: “I am not surprised Councillor McEleny is trying to politicise this issue but, as he is fully aware, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the council’s policy on free pitch hire for young people.

“This policy only covers formal bookings of pitches by registered sports teams.

“Groups of friends or parents who book pitches for their children’s parties, for example, are charged the appropriate rate by IL.

“The decision to charge youngsters for informal use of 3G pitches is an operational matter for IL.

“I have been advised by IL that this practice has actually been in place for many years, including the period when Councillor McEleny was a member of the IL board before he was forced to resign due to poor attendance.

“There are five councillors on the board of Inverclyde Leisure, including Councillor McEleny’s colleagues — councillors MacLeod and Campbell-Sturgess — and our sports champion Councillor Ahlfeld.

“If Councillor McEleny feels that the £1 charge for youngsters using the 3G pitch should be scrapped he can ask one of them to raise the matter at the next IL board.

“This is a matter for IL, not the council.”