ePetition details

We the undersigned petition the council to support the borough's community-run Community Centres and their calls for secure, long-term and affordable leases. We would like the council to suspend the Cabinet's decision to dramatically increase rents and reconsider shortening future leases of the many Centres in Council-owned buildings. We would like the council to work in partnership with Community Centres towards common goals for stronger communities facing challenging times. we would also like the immediate release of the 'Community Buildings Review' documents and data collected We believe our Centres are vital and popular community facilities, involving hundreds of the borough's community groups and tens of thousands of local residents who use their facilities and hundreds of jobs depend on their existence. To thrive, such Centres need secure, long-term and affordable leases which enable, promote and guarantee community empowerment and self-management.

Community-run Community Centres provide an unparalleled range of diverse services and facilities throughout the borough, based mainly on self-funding and extensive volunteering, saving untold sums of money for the Council and statutory services. We promote community cohesion, awareness and empowerment, and all kinds of cultural, educational, social and economic opportunities.

In July 2015 Council officers produced a short report of the extensive 3-year long review of Community Centres based in Council buildings. The Council's Cabinet unfortunately endorsed the report's recommendations which boil down to a threat of much shorter leases (which would prevent long-term investment and strategic planning), impossibly high rents and much greater insecurity for those organisations and Centres affected, many of which will face closure as a result.

This is complete contradiction to both the Council's 'Corporate Plan' and its 'Communities Strategy' in which the Council says it 'will work with communities to achieve their ambitions, by making best use of the strengths of the borough and ensuring that we build capacity and foster independence and self-reliance.

Community Centres are central to the achievement of such aims, and to the ongoing provision of a whole range of services, particularly at a time when the Council is continually having to cut back on its own provision.

This petition is submitted by Haringey Community Centres Network which includes The Asian Centre, The Irish Centre, The Selby Centre, Lord Morrison Hall, Jackson Lane, Lordship Eco Hub, The Markfield Project and the West Indian Cultural Centre.

On reaching 2200 signatures A debate will be held at full Council

This ePetition ran from 09/10/2015 to 12/02/2016 and has now finished.

239 people signed this ePetition.