Community Centres must not be put at risk

[Kintyre Forum News]

Press release from Councillor John Semple today

Community Centres must not be put at risk

The SNP are calling on the LibDem, Conservative Alliance administration of Argyll & Bute Council to live up to their commitments to communities after concerns were raised on the withdrawal of Stewards and cleaning staff from Community Centres in Rothresay, Mid-Argyll and Campbeltown.

Leader of the Council SNP Group Robert MacIntyre said –

“once again this administration is found wanting when it comes to the protection of vital services in our communities. Community Centres are run by their user groups who form “centre councils” but the buildings belong to the council, there is no reason why they should not be serviced like any other public building owned by the council and I am sure with more careful planning on the councils part the same savings could be taken without dropping Centre Councils in at the deep-end with virtually no consultation with them.”

“I am concerned that, with the responsibilities for looking after the running of the building and cleaning as well as raising a 10k levy per year to pay the council, the centre councils may well give up completely, how are they to be expected to find the income stream to replace nearly half of the total costs of running the buildings that these cuts will bring”

“we are calling on the council to look again at the way in which these community education centre cuts are being implemented and consider if savings cannot be found in an alternative”

[weetoonboy]

Dissappointing news here, Im an intermittant user of the "Centre" gym hall for badminton, and find it easily accessable and relatively cheap, especially when held in comparison with the Viccy hall.

On the point of funding, Didnt the SNP feeze council tax for 5 years? Londons fault that. Not Brussels tho.

Cake and Eat it anyone?

[John S]

Weetoon, a council administration that puts beefing up its communications department above delivering essential services to communities is at fault.

Don't really understand your issue with the freezing of council tax, which gives some relief to households when heating bills are going through the roof. Perhaps you will explain.

What is Westminster's fault (or rather former Chancellor Browns) is the deregulation of the banking system which helped put us in this financial mess in the first place. Not really sure what Brussels has to do with the Community Centre tho.