Gentlefolk,
Given that there is infrastructure in place, perhaps South Yorkshire councils might like to expedite their activities and offer an attractive package for a commercial or CIC enterprise to take over the structures. As presumably so much public funding has been consumed without any long-term guarantees of return, positive steps to attract an operator would seem a matter of significant urgency. These could include strong persuasion to the back haul suppliers to reduce charges, no (rateable) revenue extraction before the investment is making a real return, encouragement for local clubs & enterprises to adopt the equipment and services etc. etc. etc.
If a straight sale of effectively scrap equipment without a customer base is compared with the value of an operational system with desperate clients, the only losers for such a solution would be a pinprick of lost revenue to the incumbent. However we have observed how commercially spiteful the behemoth has demonstrated its political and commercial prowess elsewhere, even though shedloads of State Aid continue to be gifted to it.
Surely it's time for some practical head-bashing to recover from this squandering débacle ?
Kind regards,
Walter