"Lifeline" village halls face closure (From The Northern Echo)

"Lifeline" village halls face closure

8:00am Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in Crook & Weardale News By Mark Tallentire

'REAL LOSS': Bill Kellett, Pittington Parish Council chairman

DOZENS of community centres, said to be a lifeline to towns and villages across County Durham face closure, council chiefs revealed last night.

Durham County Council’s cabinet will next week be asked to confirm the closure of 14 facilities, hand over or close another 16 and stop investing in a further 38.

However, 36 centres are set to share in £2.15m-worth of improvements, while repair schemes are already planned for a further 16.

Lorraine O’Donnell, the council’s assistant chief executive, said: "We want a sustainable network of community facilities into the future.

"I don’t think there’s anywhere else investing at this level in such difficult times. This shows how important the council feels these facilities are to local communities and local people."

However, Bill Kellett, parish council chairman in Pittington – where the village hall and Southbrook House face losing funding, said: "These are major community assets.

"Southbrook House is very well used by elderly people and we can’t do without a village hall. It would be a real loss to Pittington."

There was especially bad news for Howden-le-Wear and Thornley community centres, near Bishop Auckland and in east Durham respectively, and Chester Moor Hut, near Chester-le-Street, which had been earmarked for investment last summer but are now set to lose out.

Brian Wilson, an independent councillor for Thornley, said: "I’m disappointed that the building has been allowed to deteriorate to the position it’s in. The building is very old and does require a lot of repair."

The Labour-led council faces nearly cuts of £190m between 2010 and 2017. Bosses have already closed care homes and leisure centres and are planning to cut library opening hours and axe up to 2,000 jobs.

Council chiefs hope community groups will be able to take on many of the threatened community centres. However, if a solution is not found, closure could follow within months.

The Community Buildings Strategy is set to be debated by the council’s cabinet when it meets at County Hall, Durham, on Wednesday, February 29, at 10am.