Community centre set for change of hands

Hambleton District Council has announced that it is looking at transferring management of Northallerton’s Hambleton Forum to the community to save £40,000 a year.

The community centre, the biggest in Hambleton, was opened by the council in 1975 and is used by 16 groups including theatre societies, fitness classes and local clubs.

The council hopes it can be run along similar lines to other community facilities across North Yorkshire including the Ritz Cinema in Thirsk, Bedale Hall and Richmond Station.

David Goodwin, assistant director for Hambleton and Richmondshire District Councils, said the proposal was in its early stages and denied the council would walk away from the building if community ownership proved unworkable.

“It is the biggest community facility in Hambleton and the reason we are exploring this is to try to save it for future generations,” he said.

“We are trying to secure it for community use to ensure that the services on offer now will remain on offer.

“One of the things that we are exploring is whether it can be run by the community.”

A series of consultation events is planned throughout July to establish how the community sees the future for the centre, with a public meeting being held to discuss the plans at Hambleton Forum at 6.30pm on July 21.

David Allan, a member of the Forum User Group set up three months ago to investigate the changes, said: “If the centre is to be run by a community organisation it needs the support and backing of the people who will be using it.

“The consultation exercise will help us to establish what appetite there is for this.”