An application was made to register Community House an Asset of Community Value. All this would have done is give a bit of breathing space, six months to get together a bid to buy Community House.

It was denied.

Here is the presentation that Gary Roskell, Trustee, made to the Oversight and Scrutiny Committee:

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I am Gary Roskell, and I am speaking both as a trustee of RCNT, the charity that runs Community House, and Chief Executive of Bromsgrove and Redditch Network, based at Community House and representing the voluntary and community sector

Is Community House an Asset of Community Value?

Yes, indisputably.

• It’s the home to 6 different charities
• Hundreds of people use the community hall every week
• Tens of thousands of people use the hall or access the support of the charities based at Community House every year
• Despite reports, the majority of the building is easily accessible and used by a wide variety of residents – young and old, from different communities, for leisure or support needs

Could it continue to support the local community?

Yes, absolutely. We just need a bit of time to prove it.

Is the business plan out of date? Yes, it is, and there’s a few reasons

• We’ve had a pandemic. Who could have planned for that?
• We have no lease. How can any charity fundraise without some sort of security of tenure?
• We had no notice of any proposal to get rid of Community House, so could not plan for it. How can we formulate a fundraising strategy to address something we had no expectation of happening?

But Community House can be viable

• There’s evidence right here in Redditch, from the REDI Centre. Once a longer term lease or other predictable tenure is granted then funding can be attracted. In Malvern, the Cube was rescued by local people, and is now a vibrant community hub. There are examples like this all over the country
• Then there’s Reimagine Redditch, a £1.5m Arts Council project, of which the Council is a partner, was about to move in because Community House is a vibrant hub at the centre of the community, and they can still do so. We can still attract tenants because the venue is absolutely unique in Redditch
• And the building doesn’t just include Community House. Gemini Dance Studio, at the rear of the building, has a huge local presence, and has been going for 50 years. They are obviously sustainable.

There is also a hidden value. The services offered by the charities save the statutory sector thousands upon thousands of pounds every year, because the statutory sector would have to support those residents if the charities and community groups did not.

The Council have created the situation whereby Community House doesn’t appear viable. By not giving us a lease, by not giving us any notice of this process, they have made it impossible for us to plan for the future.

Community assets have been rescued all over the country. But we need time to make it possible, and that’s all this application grants us. Time.