Kintbury's Jubilee Centre could be saved from closure

Residents to form a volunteer group to try and save centre

KINTBURY’S Jubilee Centre could be saved from imminent closure after an impassioned plea by residents who have offered to set up a team of volunteers to run it.

For the past 35 years the centre has been a vibrant part of community life, but is due to close at the end of March due to uncertainty over future funding.

West Berkshire Council is planning to cut its £9,000-a-year grant to the centre as part of its plan to save £19m next year.

In addition, Parkwood Leisure – appointed by the district council to run the centre – said it would not be renewing its contract when it expired in March 2017 as it was losing almost £2,000 a month.

As a result, Parkwood Leisure and Kintbury Parish Council, acting in its role as trustee of the Gladstone Memorial Trust, decided to terminate the contract a year early by mutual agreement.

The Gladstone Memorial Trust was set up by the Gladstone family – who lived in Kintbury – and who donated land for recreational use.

The land was run by the trust until the parish council took over the responsibility in the 1970s.

The parish council says it would be left with an annual bill of £22,000 to keep the centre open – something it says it can’t afford.

The council said the centre will subsequently close at the end of March but has faced a backlash from furious residents who are demanding to know why their views have not been sought first.

More than 800 people have signed a petition against the closure and, last week, Kintbury Parish Council held a public meeting to discuss the issue.

During a sometimes fiery meeting attended by more than 100 people, the parish council was consistently criticised for making the decision – albeit in the role as trustee – without consulting residents first.

At one point, parish council chairman Stephen Cook said: “I’m sorry, maybe we should have done. We can’t keep looking back, all we can do is look to the future.”

Others criticised the council for having more than £100,000 in its coffers but claiming it couldn’t afford to keep the centre open.

The council responded by saying the money was ring-fenced to other projects and that it was already providing a £13,200-a-year grant towards the upkeep of the centre.

One resident stood up and said: “We all kept the public toilets open (after a public consultation) because we thought it would be a nice thing for Kintbury to have and for visitors to use.

“I think, given the choice now, most people in this room would choose keeping the Jubilee Centre open over keeping the toilets open.

“We need to start putting our village first.”

The impassioned speech got a huge round of applause from the 100-strong crowd who turned up on the night.

When pressed by one resident, the council conceded that the centre could be viable if it was run by a dedicated team of volunteers.

This week, a group of residents met to discuss setting up a volunteer group to help run the centre.

They are expected to put forward a formal proposal to the Gladstone Memorial Trust this evening to be considered