A GRANT of £30,000 given to a west Wiltshire village for the benefit of the community is being squandered according to a parish councillor.

When the former St George's Hospital in Semington was turned into a housing development, one of the conditions of the planning permission, given in 2001, was that developers Prowting Homes West Ltd agreed to make a £30,000 donation to the village.

A sum of the money was earmarked for a new sports pitch, but this has never materialised.

Cllr Kevin Lockwood, a member of Semington Parish Council, said he is unsatisfied with the way the money has been spent over the past few years, and believes it is being wasted.

He brought the matter up at a recent parish council meeting, but fellow councillor Robert Oglesby disagreed, and said a number of projects funded by the grant had directly benefited the village.

After the meeting Cllr Lockwood said: "It will be an opportunity missed if in years to come we have spent the money and it's not on something that will leave the village a lasting legacy.

"It (the grant) was supposed to be for sports and social projects, but with the way it is being spent it seems to be that anything can class as a social activity and that is a bit of a grey area.

"Although we haven't got a playing field at the moment, I feel we can leave the money then in five or ten years time we might be able to get some land that can be used for a sports pitch.

"Other villages around this area have playing fields like Atworth, and Broughton Gifford has the common, so it's a shame we don't in Semington."

Cllr Lockwood believes the council's tight budget is one of the reasons the St George's development fund has been dipped into for projects he says should not qualify for the grant.

One recent example is a set of new chairs for the village hall, which he believes should have come out of the normal budget.

While Cllr Oglesby recognises the money is not being used for a sports pitch, he believes it is still directly benefiting the village.

He said: "We have a duty to use it (the money) for everyone's benefit and not just let it sit in the bank.

"Through that money we have been able to provide two new bus stops, but the amounts we have spent are small and of course all the time it is in the bank it is generating interest, so we are not squandering a potential legacy.

"Unfortunately a sports pitch has not happened because we have not been able to get the land, but we would desperately like to hear from people who can suggest projects it could be spent on. I'm sure if we can get a sports pitch it would be something that would get support."