MP steps into fight for Community Centre on eve of 'regressive' closure

High Peak MP Jon Pearce has written to the Leader of Derbyshire County Council (DCC) to protest the imminent closure of Gamesley Community Centre as an “extraordinary and regressive step”.

Despite a newly formed local community group having the funds in place to take over the building, DCC plan to board it up on Monday September 30. 

Mr Pearce told Cllr Barry Lewis, “I am deeply concerned that Derbyshire County Council is placing unnecessary obstacles in the way and continuing to move the goalposts preventing the transfer of ownership to the Community Group from taking place. 

“The Community Group have provided considerable and irrefutable evidence of funds that demonstrate their ability to pay initial turnkey costs. I can see no justification for Derbyshire County Council refusing to move forward with the transfer. 

“It would be in no one’s interests for this vital community resource to be boarded up and left derelict when the community is desperate for their Community Centre.” 

Helen Thornhill, a trustee of the Gamesley Community Group (GCG) said earlier in the week, "The whole community has supported GCG over this year and is eager to see the centre fully functional, offering services, support, and facilities to local organisations and the community. We also have prospective funders but can't advance applications for funding until we have a lease, or the freehold, or a guarantee of such. 

"We have lined up a significant number of charitable organisations, statutory service providers, and a host of recreational facilitators but are frustrated by the plans of DCC to close down the centre on 30th September and until the land transactions are complete. 

"However, such a closure will only serve to create uncertainty in those organisations and groups who want to operate from the centre, and if they seek alternative accommodation, our projected income stream will be impacted negatively. DCC previously gave a statutory body user notice to quit, they did, and that dented our projected income going forward. Since then, we have been working hard to get them back in at least some capacity. This illustrates that our concerns about losing users is real."