High Peak MP slams council for boarding up Gamesley Community Centre

High Peak MP Jon Pearce has slammed the decision by Conservative-led Derbyshire County Council (DCC) to close and board up Gamesley Community Centre.

Jon called a public meeting along with local Labour councillors and concerned residents back in early February when news broke that DCC were looking to close the well-used and valued centre at the heart of the Gamesley Community with little to no notice. After securing a delay to the planned closure, Jon Pearce MP has been working since then with the local community group – Gamesley Community Group Charitable Incorporated Organisation - which has been set up to take over the running of the Centre. 

After visiting the boarded-up site, Jon Pearce MP said: “This is an absolute disgrace. There’s a community group that is ready, willing and able to take over the Community Centre. To choose to board it up rather than transfer it into the hands of the local community is unforgivable.

“I am calling on the Conservative politicians at County Hall to think again and to get this deal back on track so we can get the community centre doors back open again.”

Gamesley resident and Leader of High Peak Borough Council, Councillor Anthony McKeown said: "As a Gamesley resident, I'm disappointed to see the Gamesley Youth and Community Centre boarded up when I know Gamesley Community Group has worked hard to create a viable business plan to take on the centre and keep it open for community use.

“High Peak Borough Council remains committed to doing our part of the deal but it needs Derbyshire County Council to stop changing the rules and do the deal with the Gamesley group. As soon as that’s done we can get the place back open.”  

Despite the closure, Jon Pearce MP said the campaign to re-open the Centre will continue: “This isn’t the end and we’re not going to stop. The campaign continues and we’re going to save this Community Centre but we need the Tories on Derbyshire County Council to step up and start working with the community group and working with us to get it back open.”

Helen Thornhill, Project Leader at Move More Glossop has been tirelessly campaigning for the community centre, she commented: "We the Gamesley Community Group have been working tirelessly to create a viable robust business plan, we’ve contacted multiple stakeholders to ensure the centre will be well used to support the community and to bring income into the centre to ensure it’s sustainability, yet DCC are still demanding more, they want to see projections for future growth of the centre with maintenance schedules and costings, which no business can supply until we have the operational knowledge of the building.

"DCC have neglected the building for decades and they now ask us Gamesley Community group to not only maintain it in the state it is in but upgrade it and understand the cost implications of this, this is unreasonable. The community group have raised funds to cover running costs for the year and had made significant progress in finding funding opportunities but again until we have the building under our operation we cannot take these funding applications further. We’ve asked DCC to grant us Gamesley Community Group a license to operate the building whilst the transfer process continues, so we can continue the activities for the young people and start to update and decorate the tired building. Volunteers are ready to help bring the centre back to life. We ask DCC to transfer the lease to HPBC and then HPBC can transfer the freehold to the community group and then we can build a thriving community support hub for all."