Council to consider controversial community centre transfer plans this week

Hednesford Town Council, which currently leases Pye Green Community Centre from the district authority, plans to hand over management to 1st Hednesford Scout Group in April.

The town council has said the centre currently runs with a financial burden to taxpayers. It has stressed that centre is not closing and will still be available for hire.

Residents opposing the transfer have hit out at the town council’s actions and questioned reasons for transferring the lease.

Paul Richards said: “The financial burden (the town council) keep spouting has been budgeted into the previous council budgets for the last 15 years without any fuss, plus this council has an extra £50,000 budget to what previous councils had.

“Community centres are not a run for profit business, they are there to benefit the community.

“If the centre gets turned over to the Scouts, the community loses two thirds of the capacity as a community facility – the Scouts run five days a week plus a minimum of 16 weekends."

Susan Fisher-Meddings said: “The decision and vote to transfer the lease were both taken under the cover of Covid, in secret and behind closed doors. It took the resignation of a very principled councillor for the public to be made aware of what was going on.

“Hednesford Town Council claim there are financial reasons for doing so, but another councillor showed us the figures and strongly disputes that this is the case. This has also been backed up by two former councillors, who ran the centre previously.

“If, as Hednesford Town Council claim, this is about finances, then surely multi bookings from the Scouts will help, especially following almost two years when the centre couldn’t be used because of Covid. Whilst we understand the Scouts need to pursue their hobbies, we feel that this community centre should stay as a facility for all, rather than a hall to be used by a single group, when current hirers could see their businesses destroyed.

“If the lease is transferred to the Scouts, they will be using the centre the majority of the time, but will hire out to others in the times they don’t need it. Hednesford Town Council claim to have assisted current hirers find other premises, but that simply isn’t true.

“For over 50 years the centre has always been available for the use of all, and some of the hirers have been using it for many years and have built good reputations and good businesses. Many have already been served with notices to quit.

“Many of the hirers need to have classes and lessons in the evenings and weekends when their clients are available, but the Scouts need it for themselves at those times. Existing hirers who are being forced to leave may be unable to find other suitable venues, and could lose the livelihoods they have worked so hard to establish.”

A report to Cannock Chase Council’s cabinet, which will consider the request to transfer the lease at a meeting on Thursday (March 3), said that concerns had been raised in the Hednesford community. A Save Pye Green Community Centre petition containing 1,453 signatures was presented to the district council last month.

The report said: “Of particular concern is the proposal for the 1st Hednesford Scout Group to have exclusive occupation of the community centre hall on every weekday evening. In order to accommodate the Scout group, five existing businesses currently running evening classes at the hall would have to find alternative accommodation. A total number of 180 people attend the classes run by the five affected businesses, though it is not known how many of the attendees are residents of Hednesford.

“The town council has advised that it has extended an offer to assist the affected businesses in finding alternative venues from which to host their classes. It is not known whether any of the affected hirers have availed themselves of the town council’s offer of assistance or whether they have secured an alternative venue.

“The town council has also advised that a further 15 hirers of the community centre hall would be unaffected by the proposal, except for on the 14 weekends per year that the Scout group would require exclusive occupation of the hall. It is not known what arrangements (if any) would be made by the Scout group to accommodate the affected hirers on such weekends.

“There are three offices within the community centre that would not be required by the Scout Group. These offices would remain available to the general public for classes, business and private hire during the community centre opening hours.”

Hednesford Town Council said that it has been working since 2019 to find a way of relieving the financial burden of the community centre on taxpayers while keeping it open for use.

The town council added: “Former councillors took on a substantial loan from the Public Works Loan Board to build an extension on Pye Green Community Centre and this is repaid every year at £17,000. The original intention was to apply for a grant from the Coalfield Regeneration Fund to cover the costs of the extension, when this was declined a decision was made at that time to proceed with the extension but with a loan and to cover the costs incurred from future Council Tax from Hednesford taxpayers.

“As a council we do not believe it is responsible to leave this as the status quo from our time as service to our community.

“Making a decision to address the financial deficit of Pye Green Community Centre allows the council to focus on the priorities of the whole community, building on the successes of the last two years with year round events, grants to support businesses and community groups, Hednesford Life Magazine, outdoor cinema and so much more and the plans to expand community engagement and youth provision across the town.”