Driffield Community Centre dismayed by Town Council decision to withdraw support.

At Wednesday evening's joint meeting of the Driffield Town Council and the Driffield Community Centre Management Committee, the Town Clerk announced that a decision taken by the Town Council on 5th September to move their operation out of the Centre by October 15th was going forward and that from Sunday there would be no administrative support by the Town Council to the Community Centre.

This means that from Monday 16th October there will be nobody in the office at the Community Centre to take bookings, or collect payments etc., as the administrative support will have been relocated to the newly purchased but as yet unfinished Town Council offices on Market Walk and the Town Councillors have said their staff are not to work for the Community Centre.

The committee heard that a letter had apparently been hand delivered some days after the decision had been taken, but this information had not got to the rest of the committee and the first they heard of it was when the Town Clerk announced that as from Monday there would be no further service provided.

At one point in the meeting it was thought that a stay of execution of approximately four to six weeks would give the Management Committee a chance to get their own phones organised and some administrative support in place, but this idea was ultimately scuppered by the Town Council. 


What this also means is that the Town Council are moving into a building with no phones as yet installed.  This will seriously affect the service they are able to offer to the public and at the same time abandoning their commitment to the Community Centre.

East Riding of Yorkshire Councillor Felicity Temple, a member of the Community Centre Management Committee commented:  "Are the Town Council there to serve the people of Driffield or not?  This does not reflect well on them and proves that their stated aim of working in partnership with others is nothing but hollow words. 

 

I also have to say that their mandate for moving to new offices was gained on the back of promises of providing more community meeting space and many people I have spoken to are expecting to be able to use their new premises out of hours.  The Town Council confirmed tonight that the expensive new Market Walk offices would be solely for the Town Council and will not be available for community use.  This is a major blow for the town’s volunteers and organisations.

 

I am frankly appalled by the heavy-handed way they have behaved.  There was no consultation, nor did they properly place this item on the Town Council Agenda.  This prevented us from making any representation to the Town Council.  One or two Town Councillors – and I mention no names - have forced the vote, shouldering aside people who have worked with them for years for a pointless move.  I feel sorry for the Mayor, who has always supported the Community Centre and did not want this severance.   I would also like to pay tribute to the role Alan Cousins has played for the Community Centre since it was built and who took a lot of flack from the Town Council.  They have totally lost the plot."

 

Councillor Temple added, "The Community Centre Management Committee will make every effort in difficult circumstances to ensure that the good folk of Driffield who use the facilities are still able to continue with their activities, but we do face a very difficult time whilst we put alternative arrangements into place."