Written evidence submitted by Hitchin
Bridge Club (BS 06)
This submission relates not to the transfer to or
commissioning of public service contracts from the third sector
but to another aspect of the Big Society idea which is the
transfer of community buildings and the responsibility for the
management thereof to local community groups.
On 1 February 2011 the Hitchin Bridge Club became
the first ever UK mind sports organisation to be granted charitable
status. In its decision the Charities Commission were satisfied
that bridge was a sport within the definition of the Charities
Act 2007, that the facilities provided by the club were capable
of improving conditions of life and were provided to the public
at large.
The club currently plays bridge in a community hall
hired from the local authority. It runs two evening sessions and
a teaching class for complete beginners. It would like to increase
the number of sessions and introduce a daytime teaching class
for people who for a variety of reasons cannot or prefer not to
travel to the venue in the evenings.
The hall was built in the 1960's mainly of wood and
is situated in the centre of a town park. It is unsuitable and
uneconomic for modern community use, is energy inefficient and
non versatile in the layout of its facilities.
It is currently a drain on the local authority's
resources. The local authority wish to demolish the building and
landscape more of the park. They have however no intention of
rebuilding the hall in its current location, in another part of
the park or elsewhere in the town. This intention would reduce
the community space in the town available for hire.
As well as use by the charity the hall is used by
an over 60's social club, an Age Concern run Asian lunch club,
an art group for mentally disabled adults and an Afro-Caribbean
lunch club. If it had more flexible accommodation and more up
to date facilities it would be heavily used by an even wider spectrum
of community groups and would be used for additional sessions
by the charity.
The Hitchin Bridge Club has made a proposal to the
local authority (the North Herts District Council) to build a
new club and community building at the edge of the park and is
asking that a suitable piece of land should be transferred to
the charity to achieve this. The charity would be responsible
for raising the funds to construct the building though it would
hope for a contribution from the Council (possibly from section
106 monies intended for community use)
This proposal would achieve the following:
— provide
modern attractive flexible facilities owned by the charity for
use by all the community;
— allow
the removal of the existing building enhancing the park environment;
— include
the demolition of a disused and vandalised toilet block the footprint
of which would be incorporated in the new building. This is currently
an eyesore on the main street;
— transfer
the running and management of the building to the charity with
no long term cost on Council finances thus saving the Council
money;
— be
energy efficient; and
— offer
greater security and safety for the building and its users (the
current building has been the target of vandalism in recent years).
The following problems have arisen which the charity
hopes the vision of a Big Society and the Localism Bill can address.
These include::
— the
unwillingness of Council officers to consider proposals which
do not fit in with their previous ideas, their reluctance to be
innovative or creative or to listen with an open mind to suggestions;
— the
large number of different departments within the Council that
need to be consulted and involved. This includes environment,
parks and gardens, halls and centres, planning to name but a selection
(this list is not exhaustive);
— the
complex procedures and red tape that is involved (eg re transfer
of assets, valuations, consultations, planning etc); and
— the
impression that you are not being taken seriously.
March 2011
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