Comment: Track down

The indefinite closure of the Queen Elizabeth II stadium in Enfield is a good example of how not to manage sport facilities in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. The stadium was closed by the council in May because it was said to be unsafe. So for an entire summer, when young people most need leisure facilities to occupy them during the school holidays, the gates are closed. Enfield councillors should not need a lengthy consultation process to tell them the obvious: sports facilities should be used to their maximum and not mothballed any longer than necessary. Volunteers from local clubs and a school are prepared to get involved to reopen the track. The required sum of £20,000 should now be found by the council to get the work done.