West Lothian Council has begun a consultation with Management Committees on the future provision of community facilities, including community centres and village halls. Changes to the way in which these community facilities operate are necessary as funding and resources become more scarce.
All Management Committees have been invited to attend the workshops.
The workshops aim to advise and support Management Committees understand important areas such as income generation, available funding, community engagement, community ownership business plans and many more.
The workshops will be delivered both by the Community Ownership Support Service (COSS), council officers and Voluntary Gateway West Lothian.
COSS is a Scottish Government funded programme, set up to help community groups in Scotland take on assets for their community, giving them greater control of land and buildings, and helping to ensure local service delivery in the future. COSS also supports local authorities, other public bodies and members of Community Planning Partnerships to transfer a building or land asset, recognising the benefits of partnership working with the community to meet future goals.
COSS will also provide details of existing projects already delivering for their community through different operating models.
Julie Whitelaw, Head of Housing, Customer and Building Services said: "Officers have met with Management Committees and have held a workshop where we set out the options that are available, but we appreciate that some Management Committees are looking for extra support and understand the different options involved.
"This is why we are arranging more workshops and providing further support. Committees may be considering Community Asset Transfer or Lease Agreements and our workshops will help Management Committees understand the steps, in detail.
"The workshops will help Management Committees understand the various steps towards community ownership and adopting new ways of running community centres.
"Our previous workshops helped set out the process and provided real examples of where other Management Committees have taken on ownership of facilities in West Lothian.
"We are eager to develop workshops to best suit the needs of management committees, and are seeking feedback from Management Committees on the support and information topics that would be most beneficial to them."
Ralph Bell, the council's Customer & Community Service Manager added:
"No final decision has been made on the future of these facilities but given the severity of the financial position that all councils find themselves in, it is absolutely necessary to review and change how current services are provided going forward given we will have far less funding available. We simply cannot afford to continue to deliver the same level of services."
"Our key objective throughout this exercise will be to work with Management Committees to help ensure that facilities remain open under new operating arrangements.
"Currently, individual Management Committees receive the income generated via community centres and village hall lets. West Lothian Council does not receive any income from lets, but does incur all of the costs for staffing, heating and electricity, maintenance and upkeep of the facilities.
"This financial model is no longer affordable, nor is it sustainable. This is why we are engaging and consulting with Management Committees on potential alternative options that would ensure facilities remain open."
