Tadley taxpayers say 'Yes' to £250k youth centre loan

Electors have been participating in a postal vote on the question of whether or not they want the town council to take out a £250,000 public works loan towards the cost of the £500,000 youth centre project.
Tadley Town Council would repay the sum over a 15-year period and the repayments would be met by raising the town’s precept for the next 15 years.
The total cost to a band D household over the course of the loan would be about £40 – about £3.63 a year.
Results of the poll were revealed on Tuesday afternoon (Apr 1), after polls closed at noon, in a statement by the town council.
A total 2,308 voters said yes (59.6 per cent of the valid vote).
A total 1,562 voters said no (40.4 per cent of the valid vote)
Town council chairman, David Leeks, said the next step would be for the town council to submit a planning application for the youth centre:
“We took it to the general public and the general public came back with the word ‘Yes’ so we will go ahead and apply for the loan,” said Mr Leeks, adding it was “All steam ahead!” he said,after “Positive feedback from Tadley.”
Instrumental in the project was Tadley and District Community Association (TDCA), which runs Tadley and District Community Centre - where the youth centre would be built at the rear - and association chairman, Adrian Noad, who had urged taxpayers to back the project, to ensure an informal venue for the town’s youngsters, said:
“We are not talking about youth clubs that can pitch up for a couple of hours once a week in a hall somewhere. We do that already at the community centre! We want to be open once school finishes each day until 9pm and throughout the school holidays. That’s something we need a dedicated facility for,” said Mr Noad, adding:
“It’s also about delivering the sort of counselling services that the youth of today need access to – drugs, alcohol, sexual health, bereavement, young carers etc.”
The youth centre would be built on part of the former Burnham Copse Infant School site, New Church Road, at the back of the community Centre.
The land was given to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council by Hampshire County Council, to be leased by TDCA, with hopes of having the new facility up and running by early next year (2015).

Other poll information:
Number of eligible voters - 9,158
Total number of votes cast - 3,872
Number of invalid votes: two
Total number of valid votes counted: 3,870
Turnout: 42.3 per cent