Barnet College is being allowed to wriggle out of an agreement to build an all-weather football pitch for youngsters living in one of the borough's most deprived areas.

As long ago as 1999, council officers were sceptical that the College would ever fulfill its obligation under a Section 106 (S106) agreement to provide the pitch for Grahame Park. That agreement runs out on Saturday and Barnet Council this week confirmed it was not intending to take enforcement action against the college before a planning meeting next month.

Vince Purdue, manager of Mill Hill Rangers youth football team, believes youngsters on the Colindale estate have been "fobbed off". The all-weather pitch was meant to replace the loss of the playing fields, he says.

Mr Purdue has the support of Tory councillors including Councillor Brian Coleman, GLA member for Barnet and Camden.

"The residents of Grahame park have been let down by the shenanigans of Barnet Council and Barnet College and the old Hendon College," said Mr Coleman. "The governors of Barnet College should be ashamed of themselves. Alan William's vanity sports centre project in Burnt Oak is no substitute for the Grahame Park scheme."

Labour's Council leader Alan Williams denied that the proposed sport centre in his Burnt Oak ward had any bearing on the decisions that had been made.

He added that it had been made clear during extensive consultation that Grahame Park residents did not want an all-weather pitch but favoured a revised scheme including a ball court and a skateboard park. This scheme will be considered by the council in the coming months, he said.

Mr Williams added that he was unclear if the council would be in a position to enforce the original agreement, even if it wanted to.

That did not please Mr Coleman who said: "This undermines the whole idea of Section 106 agreements. We will be looking closely at the relationship between Barnet Council and Barnet College."