Decision details

To report on the request that officers carry out a full options appraisal for the future of community centres, in consultation with interested parties, following the removal of the community centres budget. The Cabinet had instructed officers to undertake full consultation (over a reasonable period of time) with the users of the facilities and report the outcome of both the appraisal and the consultation to Overview and Scrutiny and to the Cabinet.

3/2006 The Cabinet agreed, subject to suitable budgetary provision being available, to reinstate the revenue budgets for the five community centres on the basis that the following action be undertaken:
a) the two community centres at White Road and Woodside are put at the forefront of the next wave of neighbourhood action plans.
b) the Hook Meadow Community Centre is developed as a key community enterprise satellite facility for Medway, closely connected to the Community Enterprise Hub.
c) that officers seek to secure higher levels of income generation for the Chattenden Community Centre, founded on the greater involvement of existing stakeholders in the management of the Centre, notably London & Quadrant, with an option to include the mechanism of a fully repairing and maintaining lease agreement.
d) a full review of the Marlborough Road Community Centre site is undertaken founded on consultation with all existing stakeholders before defining further recommendations to Cabinet for the medium to long-term future role of the site.

Restoration of the revenue budgets will enable the Community Centres to continue to fulfil their function as neighbourhood venues for the provision of vital community services and activities. It will also enable a programme of building repairs and improvements to enhance security and attract more users.It will be possible for pump priming initiatives to be undertaken in order to establish the Community Centres as focal points for neighbourhood improvement activities and social regeneration initiatives. In this way the Community Centres can generate further income by attracting voluntary bodies and social enterprises to make use of the facilities whilst also accessing external social regeneration funding to support service improvements.