People living in a West Lothian town facing the ‘devastating’ potential closure of their community centre have launched a fightback to save it.
The future of Whitburn Community Centre is hanging in the balance after the council announced it was looking to hand ownership of it and 37 others to the groups that use them.
Management groups have been told they will have to consider taking over their buildings or taking on a lease in a bid to save money.
Council bosses say the current way of running the centres is a financial model that is “no longer affordable, nor is it sustainable.”
Many groups who use the facilities have hit out, including people in Whitburn.
A petition has been launched by locals pressing the council to rethink the strategy, which many argue would lead to the closure of community centres.
One of the organisers, Lesley-Anne Currie, said: “The council are going to be dramatically changing our community centres as we know it, if the council get there way theses centres would be facilities given back to the community will just be another standard business center just looking for a profit and not considering the community as a whole
“Our petition is to try and get awareness out there and back our community centres.”
Another petition organiser, Kerry Anderson, said: “West Lothian Council is in financial decline and as a result they have given all community centres across West Lothian three options; Community Asset Transfer (CAT), a Full Repair and Insuring (FRI) lease agreement or Default which is recharging of centre costs to Partnership Management Committees.
If we choose any of these options the centre will remain open regardless, but not as we know it.
“The management committee may no longer be a part of it which means the gym and soft play will no longer exist. We will no longer have the luxury of the amazing Christmas Cracker event.
“Just one of the many events our management committee funds, as well the ever busy Summer Camp and not to mention the substantial amount of charity work they do within our community which is not freely broadcasted.
“If the council succeeds, this means that several of our local groups won’t survive as we will have to pay a higher rent to be in the building. Which means a higher admission for visitors. The amount of people attending the sporting clubs, self help and wellbeing groups, playgroups etc will rapidly decline, if the groups can even afford to remain in the centre. What will we have left? What will be next?
“Whitburn Community Education Centre has been open for 50 years. Let’s come together as a community and push back. Let’s fight to STOP change and keep our community centre at it’s best.”
To sign the petition visit https://www.change.org/p/the-future-of-whitburn-community-centre
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