"Community Action" Future Still Unclear After Crunch Council Meeting

9.30.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 31st Oct 2007

The future for Malvern and District Community Action remained in the balance last night after Malvern Town councillors agreed to negotiation over tenancy and rent arrangements for Town Council owned offices occupied by the charity in Belle Vue Terrace.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate, Richard Burt, Community Action Chair, Jen Boyer, and County Councillor Penelope Morgan all spoke against proposals from the Town Council's Finance and Administration Committee to charge the charity a commercial rent and transfer tenure from a licence agreement to a one year renewable lease.

A proposal by Councillor Robson Ward to "grant a lease on an annual basis at a commercial rent" was eventually withdrawn in favour of a decision to "offer Community Action a lease for a period to be negotiated at a commercial rent and that Community Action is invited to enter negotiations as soon as possible."

Richard Burt said: "The Town Council should not allow itself to be painted into a corner by imposing less favourable terms on tenancy and rent. Community Action needs security of tenure if it to attract funding from outside sources to support its activities, and it should not be forced to go cap in hand to the Town Council every year for a grant, with all the uncertainties over budgeting that brings."

He appealed to town councillors to "Recognise the high social value of Community Action support to thousands of people in the greatest need across Malvern district."

Following the meeting, Community Action Chair, Jen Boyer said: "We are very happy to negotiate, but it's extremely worrying that we still have no security of tenure and lots of unanswered questions about our status and future."