Sidley club "badly let down" by community centre

Jenny Wood, chairman of the Sidley Friendship Club, says the Sidley Community Association "let the people of Sidley down badly" by witholding information about ongoing financial problems and the subsequent takeover by ESCC in July.

Speaking at a club meeting on Monday, August 17, Jenny said: "I came here in February or March to ask if I could use the hall. Why wasn't I told then that Sidley Community Centre was on a downward stretch? Is Sidley Community Centre actually interested in the community?"

The Club's future meetings will be held in Sidley Baptist Church hall

The Sidley Friendship Club began meeting once a month in the centre's main hall earlier this year. At the time, they were told there was no charge for Sidley based groups - instead, annual voluntary donations would contribute to the upkeep of the centre.

Crisis talks in May confirmed that, despite two 40,000 grants from Rother District Council in the last two years, funding gaps would close the centre, which started offering local services in 1949, within six weeks.

Specifically, in a recent letter to the Observer, former SCA chairman John Izzard cited insufficient funding for the Young People's Centre for 10-19s, and "the funding gap that has occured, and is ongoing for the Rainbow Childcare Centre for children up to five."

On July 15 the SCA decided to return the building's lease to RDC, with services, including room hire bookings, taken over by ESCC.

After the current agreement runs out in October, ESCC will apply rates provided by Sidley Community Association to all groups, meaning Sidley Friendship Club would pay 36 per meeting.

Jenny says this is high compared with similar halls in Sidley, and is concerned they will rise again in April 2010 when ESCC revises its charges.

Her frustration is mostly directed towards the SCA, whom she says did not have "the decency or the interest in the people of Sidley to let me know what is happening."

She said: "They have known for a very long time that there was no money in the pot. This is a good club. It's a friendly club. I've never known a group of people who have knitted together so well."

Jo Goldfinch, assistant area coordinator for Rother Children's Centres, said the charges were "under review" and every effort would be taken to ensure they remained affordable, but could not comment on any likely increase at this time.

The final SCA staff members left the association at the end of July, leaving no-one in a position to comment.

The centre's recent history is turbulent.

- The first 40,000 grant came in February 2007, when Cabinet agreed the centre was "badly in need" of improvement work. A new reception area, offices, lift to the first floor and better electrical supply were installed.

- In July 2008 a funding crisis caused by loss of Central Government grants and National Lottery aid forced the closure of the innovative Learning Link adult learning centre. At the same time two full-time staff members were made redundant from the Parentscope programme, which supported "hard to reach" families. Then SCA chairman John Izzard described the news as a "major disaster."

- The next month Rother Cabinet gave SCA a 40,000 lifeline, allowing "breathing space" to overcome its financial difficulties, but a further 80,000 deficit accrued by March 2009, forcing the SCA to hand over the reins to ESCC.

- RDC now effectively act as landlords for the building, with county council the tenants. John Izzard said negotiations may enable SCA to continue to "exercise its charitable responsibilities to the community".