Work to deliver a sustainable future for West Lothian's community centres continues

Community Centres across West Lothian will not close with no community left without a centre or facility for local use.

The council has been working with Community Centre Management Committees over the past 18 months to discuss ways in which the committees can take on ownership and management of centres, but to also ensure that the income generated by the centres contributes towards the cost of running the centres, and that centres remain on a sound financial footing.

Individual Management Committees currently receive all the income generated via community centres, but the council pays for all of the running costs for staffing, heating and electricity, maintenance and upkeep of the facilities. This is no longer financial sustainable for the council. 

A report was discussed at today's Policy and Resources PDSP sets out an update on progress.

Julie Whitelaw, Head of Housing, Customer and Building Services said:

"From the beginning, the main focus of this work has always been to include the local community in the future running of community centres and this will continue, no matter what outcome is agreed for each centre.

"We all want to ensure that all areas of West Lothian continue to have community centres and that the centres operate successfully and efficiently."

Of the 29 returns received 20 Management Committees have acknowledged a requirement to change the current operating model and have offered ways to support the delivery of a revised operating model.  Following the end of the first phase of work, 29 out of 31 Management Committees submitted returned forms to the council, with two Management Committees choosing not to submit any return.

The report sets out the next steps in the process. If at the end of this long process, all other options fail to identify a sustainable model of community operation of a community centre, officers will consider any other options or measures which would ensure the continued operation of community centres, and ensure that each area has a community centre.

Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said:

"Communities will continue to have a community centre for local use.

"It is widely accepted that the status quo cannot remain as it is not sustainable. We must look at how income generated via centres pays towards the running costs. Both management committees and council officers have put in a huge amount of work into this process to date and I think it was very positive to hear that feedback given at the committee.

"Officers have identified three alternative delivery models for community centres going forward with the objective of giving community centres a range of options that would allow them to continue working without communities under a different model to the existing arrangement.  Officers have considered the feedback and have set out recommendations to implement the three alternative delivery models along with a fourth approach should none of the three operating models can be achieved. The principal objective of the review is to achieve sustainable local services with a revised operating model. The outcome of all of the options would be to ensure that the activities currently undertaken within community centres remain within the community."