When I retire (in a long while I hope), I will need something to keep me busy (apart from my "list" of things the good Mrs B has in store for me) to take place of the long days in the office followed by the Council meetings. I have a long list of books I would like to read - although A Journey by Blair, T is most definitely NOT one of them.
So, with this in mind...along with stories of isolation and loneliness that can come after retirement or loss, I have been working with a very well known organisation to bring a sanctuary in a shed for some men (and women) to Winsford. I purposefully am not mentioning the organisations name as I am trying NOT to to politicise their great work (unlike Labour and the NHS) but use them as an example of what could be done better with an idea, an asset and an "can do" attitude.
The task set out should be a relatively easy one...find a building in Winsford which is currently empty, fit for purpose, big enough and possibly owned by the Council. "There must be many" I hear you cry with memories of the Drill Hall, The Brunner Guildhall, The Edge, The Marina building etc. etc. fresh on your mind.
Well, unfortunately not as the case may be. The Marina building was transferred to the Town Council, who if I may be so bold about it - were as imaginative as the Town Council always are i.e not very and didn't exploit its location to set up a cafe (perhaps even with toilets for those of you with a twitch over the comments made about Town Park) or a hub. The Drill Hall has long gone after a stint as a botanical pharmacy "ahem"....and The Guildhall, albeit owned by the Town Council (see above) is unfortunately not well set out internally for a shed based organisation.
There are other buildings dotted around Winsford and hopefully we shall hear some excellent news very soon but that leaves us for the moment with The Edge as the initial prime location for any organisation to use as a hub. For those who don't know, The Edge is a building off Cheviot Square and was formerly a community building until its closure due to financial irregularity in 2013. It's loss has been keenly felt by local residents who have lost a great addition to their community.
The Edge has been a topic of much debate as it is a Council owned building, and some locals and locally based groups have asked why it cant be used. All good questions, especially as we have the model of "Community asset transfer" whereby Council has powers to transfer an asset via tenancy at will or the more legal Community asset transfer. A wonderful example of this is the Whitegate Station Community Cafe - a place I wholeheartedly support and would ask the reader to go along to enjoy a refreshment or two.
All making sense so far? We have an empty building, which can be used by a community group to support the local community. Great. Well, Errr....not quite.It appears there are a few small matters that need to be addressed before anyone can "get the keys" so to speak.
The first is that any community must have a business plan. Fairly obvious but of course having an idea in the community, often not backed with any capital and without too much business acumen means that people are put off quite quickly. The officers do a sterling job of helping but a clearer message of "we will help you" should come from the Council.
Second, The Edge needs some fairly major repairs before it is fit for purpose. Initially, it was good to note that a smattering of arsonists had not made too much of a negative impact on the building but it was discovered the "the roof" needed some work - and the following numbers started to be discussed 50K then 130K with a final bid of 195,000 pounds....from the guy in the yellow jacket at the back.
That is then, the end of that - a building which would be great in the community, for the community which now requires so much money spending on it that no one wants to ask if we can have it. A building left in such a state that those wonderful sheds and the men and women who would be in them cannot use. A building that had community out reach potential for health, advice, children's groups, inter-generational training (young people learning skills, older generations learning a bit more about smart phones for example) now not being used.
So, I'm calling on CWaC Labour to tell me their plan for The Edge - perhaps they have one neatly stored away for publication (most likely before the election next year), perhaps they could spend some of their stash of unallocated reserve (£6 Million) on this and no doubt other community asset buildings before the building goes the way of Winsfords much publicised derelict Liquid Lounge building (that maybe another blog someday).
In the meantime, I wish those shed men and women the very best and will continue to support them in their search for a location in Winsford. It's a shame it cant be The Edge and I will be asking about the Labour plan at council. That is of course, if Labour actually answer any questions........I live in hope....
