Nottingham City Council's leader says community centres will not be "threatened" by a new plan which aims to clarify how groups use the authority's buildings. The council says its new policy will introduce a fair and consistent approach to how the community and voluntary groups using its buildings are treated.
In recent months, groups occupying some council buildings have protested against increases to their rent that are now being proposed by the authority. The Place Activity Centre in Sherwood and Karam Yog - known as the Nottingham Teaching College - are among the organisations which say they would have to close if their planned rent rises go ahead.
Nottingham City Council says its Community Asset Policy, discussed at an Executive Board meeting on February 21, is not directly linked to these decisions and is instead about establishing a "framework" for the future. But Councillor Kevin Clarke, the Leader of the Nottingham Independents, said at the meeting: "I think we need to be very careful of losing the volunteer groups and charities in making these changes.
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"A good example is the Hyson Green charity [Karam Yog], which is now in the position of going out of business due to impossible demands being put on it. We are about to lose it due to the outrageous rent demands being asked for it."
Also expressing some concern was Conservative Group leader Councillor Andrew Rule, who said: "Since the agenda for this meeting has come out, I've had the community centres in my ward thinking that this is an attempt to effectively sell them off. I really think there needs to be a really clear communications piece to say this is not the case, it is as you say a framework for how we deal with future scenarios.
"I also think what you need to define far more clearly is when you talk about 'market rents will be discounted to an agreed amount and have regard to quantifiable community benefits', but then in the rest of the document you don't say what that comprises. I think that would go a long way to removing some of the anxiety that I've certainly seen from the fabulous volunteers that run our centres in Clifton West and Clifton East."
But Councillor David Mellen, the Leader of Nottingham City Council, responded to the concerns by saying: "There are many groups who don't get a huge amount of support from us in terms of financial value because of the situation we're in, but are successful in raising money and in supporting many community activities all over our city. We would be the poorer without them.
"There are many other buildings which are leased or hired on a very ad-hoc basis and we need to have some fairness so that different community groups across different parts of the city know if they are occupying a city council building, they are doing so on a basis which is equivalent. Community centres, because they have a small grant given to them to help with heating and cleaning costs, are all held on a similar basis and this policy will not threaten those."
The council's new policy will allow particular buildings to be transferred to other organisations from the council, such as community and voluntary groups, which would then become responsible for the building's maintenance and repairs. Once agreements are reached between the council and an organisation, the building would then be transferred at less than market value, and the lease would be reviewed at least every five years.
The council will no longer consider rental for free, but will accept a level of subsidy depending on quantifiable community benefits of the transfer, the value of the asset and the organisation's ability to pay a full market rent. Speaking about the broader aims of the policy at Tuesday's meeting, Councillor Mellen added: "For some time, there are a number of buildings that the city council own that are occupied on a various basis by community and voluntary groups, for which there is not a firm, clear and transparent structure as to how we let or lease those buildings.
"This seeks to bring about a policy which does that, that brings clarity and a framework through which we can talk with community and voluntary groups on the best way forward." The Executive Board approved the new policy, which will now be discussed at a full council meeting.
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