Six community facilities in Skelmersdale and Ormskirk could be taken over and run by voluntary groups under plans to devolve more power to grassroot organisations by West Lancashire's Conservative Borough Council.
The Civic Hall in Ormskirk, Community Resource Centres in Old Skelmersdale (The Greenhill), Digmoor, Tanhouse and Birch Green, and Ashurst Meeting Room could all be given a new lease of life as part of proposals which will be discussed by Full Council next week.
If given the green light, local voluntary and community groups would be given the opportunity to take over the day to day running of the buildings. The council would also consider allowing groups to purchase buildings under Community Right to Buy.
Community transfer of all these facilities would immediately save the taxpayer around £21,000 per year in business rates alone, which are payable on each building as they are currently run by the council. Once transferred to voluntary groups, they could be eligible for an 80% discount in business rates, meaning the bill for the Civic Hall in Ormskirk would drop from just over £6,000 per year to just over £1,200. This equates to less than £4 per day
The annual business rates bill for the Skelmersdale centres currently stands at an average of around £3,000 each. If transfered to voluntary groups, the average cost per venue could drop to just short of £600 per year. This equates to around £1.60 a day.
Groups would also be eligible to bid for grant funding from a range of national and local schemes to assist voluntary and community groups. And only last week, the Government announced a £30m package of support for local communities wanting to take over community buildings. More information can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/2175120
Cllr David Sudworth, Conservative Group Spokesman for Leisure, said: "Community facilities work best when the community is at the heart of them. All across West Lancashire, groups and individuals are already running meeting rooms and village halls, and we have already had interest from groups who want more responsibility in shaping and delivering local services.
"There are significant reductions in business rates available to community groups which aren't available to the council. By transferring these facilities to community groups, it is saving the taxpayer thousands of pounds a year whilst allowing communities to have a greater say in how their local facility is run by devolving power from the centre down to grassroots organisations."
Cllr Adrian Owens, Conservative Group Deputy Leader, said: "West Lancashire has a number of active community groups who have shown they are more than capable of running local community facilities. These proposals are a major vote of confidence in local groups who we want to work with to secure of future of these buildings."
Cllr Ian Grant, Leader of the Conservative Group, added: "Our plans will, subject to the agreement of Council, go out for public consultation. I hope the public will respond positively to what I believe are ambitious plans to put communities in the driving seat."
The Civic Hall in Ormskirk, Community Resource Centres in Old Skelmersdale (The Greenhill), Digmoor, Tanhouse and Birch Green, and Ashurst Meeting Room could all be given a new lease of life as part of proposals which will be discussed by Full Council next week.
If given the green light, local voluntary and community groups would be given the opportunity to take over the day to day running of the buildings. The council would also consider allowing groups to purchase buildings under Community Right to Buy.
Community transfer of all these facilities would immediately save the taxpayer around £21,000 per year in business rates alone, which are payable on each building as they are currently run by the council. Once transferred to voluntary groups, they could be eligible for an 80% discount in business rates, meaning the bill for the Civic Hall in Ormskirk would drop from just over £6,000 per year to just over £1,200. This equates to less than £4 per day
The annual business rates bill for the Skelmersdale centres currently stands at an average of around £3,000 each. If transfered to voluntary groups, the average cost per venue could drop to just short of £600 per year. This equates to around £1.60 a day.
Groups would also be eligible to bid for grant funding from a range of national and local schemes to assist voluntary and community groups. And only last week, the Government announced a £30m package of support for local communities wanting to take over community buildings. More information can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/2175120
Cllr David Sudworth, Conservative Group Spokesman for Leisure, said: "Community facilities work best when the community is at the heart of them. All across West Lancashire, groups and individuals are already running meeting rooms and village halls, and we have already had interest from groups who want more responsibility in shaping and delivering local services.
"There are significant reductions in business rates available to community groups which aren't available to the council. By transferring these facilities to community groups, it is saving the taxpayer thousands of pounds a year whilst allowing communities to have a greater say in how their local facility is run by devolving power from the centre down to grassroots organisations."
Cllr Adrian Owens, Conservative Group Deputy Leader, said: "West Lancashire has a number of active community groups who have shown they are more than capable of running local community facilities. These proposals are a major vote of confidence in local groups who we want to work with to secure of future of these buildings."
Cllr Ian Grant, Leader of the Conservative Group, added: "Our plans will, subject to the agreement of Council, go out for public consultation. I hope the public will respond positively to what I believe are ambitious plans to put communities in the driving seat."