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Weybridge Community
> Save
Weybridge Hall
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If you think local community activities
& facilities are important, please help now to Save Weybridge Hall
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Friends Of Weybridge Hall
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Over 1.000 local people
have now registered their support for keeping
open Weybridge Hall as it comes under serious
threat of closure. Elmbridge Borough Council has
withdrawn the £17,000 annual funding for the
Hall and is requiring all of the Hall’s users to
move out. |
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The Hall is a vital
community facility in the heart of the town and
hundreds will be affected by the decision,
including toddlers and the elderly. A petition
opposing the closure has been circulated in the
town and the number of signatures grows every
day. |
| There is also an
online petition you can sign (very quick) - see
column on right. |
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Despite a generous
offer of financial support from local PR
consultant, Max Clifford, and pleas from the
general public for consultation, the Council is
pursuing its plans. |
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The Hall hosts many
community-orientated activities and businesses
including adult and children dance classes, old
folks’ groups, adult education classes and
school activities. Many are struggling to find
suitable, alternative venues. |
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The Council has stated
that consultation on the Hall’s future shall
begin only after all of the users have been
moved out of the Hall, leaving behind an empty
building and a disappointed community. |
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Continued directly below |
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Message from Former Mayor
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| Graham Winton, former
Mayor of Elmbridge, who runs Weybridge Old Folks
Club has been an active campaigner to save
Weybridge Hall. Here is his article; |
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How much does it cost to keep Weybridge Hall open? 9 Pennies? |
| 100 years old Weybridge
Public Hall is scheduled for closure by
Elmbridge Borough Council. No reason has been
given other than to save a small management
charge. |
| Campaigners and local councillors have
sought discussions about the future of the hall
with the council without success. The doors will
close soon. (9 pennies was the cost of a popular
seat in this once popular County Cinema.) |
| Over recent years DCLeisure have taken on a long
term contract for the running of the hall (along
with other leisure facilities). The cost to
Elmbridge for the running of Weybridge Hall is
said to be £17,000 per annum. All income from
lettings is retained by DC Leisure who appear to
have attracted a wide and different range of
users. Shoe sales, Psychic Fair, Church
Services, Local organisation meetings such as
those of Weybridge Old Folks Club (who have been
using the hall for over 40 years) Dog Training,
and many Children’s Groups. |
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Continued directly below |
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Friends Of Weybridge Hall (continued)
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May Cotter, who
attends the weekly Old Folks’ Club at the Hall,
says, “Coming to the Hall every Thursday is
the only time many of the members get out. We
all look forward to it. We make friends there.
The atmosphere in the Hall is wonderful and
inviting and makes one big extended family. The
Hall should be kept for the people of
Weybridge.” |
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Chairwoman of the
Friends of Weybridge Hall, Jennifer Doyle, says,
“it would be a great shame to lose this
fantastic public hall. All options for the Hall
should be considered and the public should be
consulted before the Council proceeds with any
plans. It’s pointless to consult once the users
have been removed from the Hall. What future can
it have then?” |
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Further Information & Help - Contact Friends Of
Weybridge Hall: |
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Please contact Jennifer Doyle on (0788) 054 2200
or
jenny.doyle29@yahoo.co.uk |
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Online Petition - Have Your Say |
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A petition for local
residents to express their concerns about the
plans is available at
www.ipetitions.com/petition/weybridge_hall
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Tell A Friend Or Local Organisation |
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There are many people
who would support the campaign if they knew the
details. Please send them an email now:
Click here - includes a link to this page |
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Briefing Notes - From Friends Of Weybridge
Hall
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The Hall is the
only public venue in Weybridge with a
visible ‘high street’ location, a large,
open interior space and a wooden floor; |
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It is used by
local residents ranging from the elderly
to tiny tots, by community-orientated
businesses, schools and local community
groups (annual usage exceeds 2,000
hours); |
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Elmbridge Borough
Council (the “Council”) owns the Hall; |
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DC Leisure Ltd is
the contractor engaged by the Council to
provide maintenance and management
services to the Hall; |
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The Council has
withdrawn the £17,000 annual funding
required for the Hall’s management and
maintenance from the 2011/12 budget
(applies from 01 April 2011). This is
the annual fee paid to DC Leisure by the
Council for management and maintenance
services; |
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The Council
requires all hirers of the Hall to move
their businesses and activities to
alternative venues; |
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The Council is
encouraging the hirers to move to the
Weybridge Centre for the Community (a
small centre hidden away beside
Churchfields Park). The Centre is
unsuitable for many of the Hall's
activities (e.g. toddlers’ football and
dance classes). Other alternative venues
in the town are limited in terms of
availability and suitability. Some also
cost a lot more to hire; |
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The Council’s
decisions were taken without public
consultation or discussion with any of
the Hall’s hirers or users. |
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Further Information & Help - Contact Friends Of
Weybridge Hall: |
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Please contact Jennifer Doyle on (0788) 054 2200
or
jenny.doyle29@yahoo.co.uk |
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Letter From Weybridge Resident M. McTague To
Cllr Simon Dodsworth (who voted for withdrawing
funds) |
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I am writing to correct you following the
receipt of the ‘In Touch’ leaflet and your
comments regarding Weybridge Hall.... |
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Read the full letter -
click here |
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| It is against this
thriving background that the unannounced and -
not consulted upon - decision to delete the
funding for the management of the hall was made.
From April 1st, the doors of Weybridge Hall will
be locked. (And the keys thrown away??). |
| All users will be asked
to find alternative premises and once they have
been transferred then the future of the hall
will be discussed. This has outraged many people
in the community and has lead to petitions and
press comment. |
| All the council can say
is “The council
are transferring the operations at the hall to
another site within the area, maximising the use
of its available assets. The council will then
take the opportunity to review the future use of
the hall.” |
| The decision to close
the hall was taken on Dec 8th at a full
Elmbridge Council Meeting under a “Budget
Reduction Proposals item 2011/12” agreed at a
Cabinet meeting of 24 November. |
| The ruling Conservative
administration voted through a one line item to
“Relocate as many hirers as possible from the
Weybridge Hall to the Weybridge Day Centre” Save
£17,000 Risk “Low” Type of Savings –
“Efficiency”. |
| This decision was
queried at Cabinet and Main Council by
opposition councillors who asked for deferment
for consultation. This was refused without
reason. |
| A further attempt was
made at a “Scrutiny” meeting to extract
information on the back ground to the decision
and its consequences to no avail. Cabinet
members Whittaker and Fuller continued the
“stonewall”. |
| Users are up in arms
about the future of their groups. For example,
Weybridge Old Folks Club members have twice
voted not to transfer to the Weybridge Day
centre. |
| The 60 year old club
faces closure if a suitable alternative is not
found. Churches are being very helpful but
appropriate space, facilities and vacancies are
not readily available. |
| Petitions, letters,
telephone calls and emails are being organised
to get the council to come clean and let the
residents in on the future of the hall. |
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What can you do? |
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Email the
powers that be at Elmbridge
Council now
(details at top of this page). |
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Sign the
petition at
www.ipetitions.com/petition/weybridge_hall |
Tell others about the campaign
and that all the details can be found on the
all about Weybridge website |
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above article
Copyright Graham Winton
6 March 2011 |
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For History & Notes About Weybridge Hall,
including Previous Closure Attempt, see the section at the
bottom of this page |
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Comments From Some Of The Save Weybridge Hall Petitioners
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| " I strongly
believe that it is a NECESSITY not a luxury for
the young and the old to have access to the
above mentioned community based activities. By
closing the hall you deprive the elderly,
parents and children of a chance to get
together, socialise, exercise and appreciate the
community they live in. This is a backwards step
and affects all of their WELLBEING." |
| Annette
Byway on Mar 3, 2011 |
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| "The Hall is
a large part of the community and is used for
many things to bring people together. " |
| Janet
Lacey on Mar 3, 2011 |
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| "You cannot
close the hall without consultation and helping
people to find VIABLE alternatives to keep
groups going. these groups need venues to be
available and should be encouraged to continue
to provide enrichement to young and old alike
regardless - it will still need security and
maintenance even if it is closed and empty -
better to have some contribution coming in than
nothing at all." |
| Sue
Haynes on Mar 2, 2011 |
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"It is important to consult with users and
partners before closing a local communiy
resource. There could well be community interest
in taking over the mangement." |
| Mona on
Mar 3, 2011 |
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| "I feel its
so important to retain community activities and
facilities. The saving of £17000 a year is not
much and I wonder how well this has been thought
through. |
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most people using the hall will park in
Churchfield car park. Activities are usually at
least 1 hour, so to park legally (allowing for
time walking to & from the hall) they will pay
for at least £1 for 2 hours to the council for
parking. |
| At a level
of 46 car users per day using the hall, the
council would be receiving parking revenues
which cancel out the £17,000 costs of running
the hall. Elmbridge Choir used the hall in 2009
for a half day workshop, with 200 people
attending. Last year we had another activity
there. |
| The number
of people parking may not be as high as 46 per
day, but the contribution they are making in
parking revenues must be substantial, so the
savings from closing the hall are minimal. |
| Is it
realistic for all the activities like children's
play groups to go to the Day Centre? I think
not. The hall has a stage and an excellent dance
floor, so the Day Centre is not a suitable
substitute and many community activities will be
lost. |
| In a week
where on the news we have seen £73 million paid
by Chelsea Football Club for 2 players who will
train at Cobham and probably live at St George's
Hill Weybridge or elasewhere in Elmbridge, it is
a sad reflection on society that important
community activities and facilities are closed
down to save less than £17,000 per year. |
| Could not a
wealthy local individual or organisation sponsor
the hall? The positive PR benefit could be
attractive to someone? . |
| Chris
Feb 2011 |
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| "It should
be illegal to close a public space which the
public use without consultation with them! " |
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Jo Humphries on Mar 3, 2011
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| There are
lots more comments from concerned and angry
residents -
see the online petition |
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Have You Had Your Say Yet?
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Please take a few minutes to support the
campaign |
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What can you do? |
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Email the
powers that be at Elmbridge
Council now
(details at top of this page). |
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Sign the
petition at
www.ipetitions.com/petition/weybridge_hall |
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History Of The Hall & Previous Closure
Attempt - Notes From Graham Winton
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History Of Weybridge Hall
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| The building
was constructed in 1899 as part of a parade of
shops and first used as a grocers shop. For a
time it was vacant and was considered as a
cinema in 1912 but with the onset of the 1st
world war, it was used by an engineering
company. It eventually opened as a cinema in
1920 as the Weybridge Kinema Theatre. |
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refitted by Tarrents in 1927 in 1927 to provide
seating for 520 and renamed King George’s
Cinema. Sound was introduced in 1929. It was
renamed County Cinema in 1937 and remained as
such till closure in the early 1950’s. In 1954
the cinema was bought by the Walton and
Weybridge UDC and converted into a Public Hall.
It passed into Elmbridge BC’s hands in 1974. |
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Details of the Hall
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| Weybridge
Hall is managed on behalf of Elmbridge Borough
Council by DC Leisure who manage most of the
Leisure facilities in the borough including the
Xcel Leisure Centre. The Hall is well used by
many local groups, organisations and commercial
interests. The council pays DCLeisure £17,000
per annum for the management of the hall. This
payment covers caretaking, advertising and
booking services. The council is responsible for
the maintenance of the fabric and services for
the hall such as electricity, gas and water. |
The hall has
a main auditorium with a stage, a multi-purpose
open space with a high class floor suitable for
dancing, meetings and entertainment and a
kitchen with all cooking facilities. There are
toilet facilities including for disabled. Stairs
lead to a first floor which includes a bar,
storage facilities and a balcony to the main
auditorium. By separate access, the first floor
houses a meeting room.
Two further upper
floors houses accommodation for the caretaker. |
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Previous Closure Attempt
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| In the early
1990’s repair work was required to the external
and internal structure as a threat of closure
arose. Firstly, external re-pointing was needed
to the brickwork. A (serious!) surveyor’s report
was presented to the council which estimated the
cost as being £220,000!!!. This was a key cost
in the pressure to close the hall as
unaffordable, only for one councillor (guess
who!) found that there was a typing error and
the one additional zero had been added. The cost
was only £22,000. This did not daunt the council
who took some persuading that hall was still
needed by the community. |
| A
Friends of Weybridge Hall committee was set up
to fight to keep it open. Petitions and letters
lead to the decision to retain the hall and
carry out a number of improvements including the
reconstruction of the balcony steps to conform
to safety regulations. There was a grand opening
of the hall balcony and bar on 25th January
1996. Work was carried out on the windows,
introducing new heating and a new sound system
(funded by the WI), new curtains in the meeting
room funded by the Friends and a Disabled Toilet
constructed from the proceeds of a Charity
Scottish County Dance evening in the hall. The
hall was painted its current colour of blue by
the Friends of Weybridge Hall in fact by the
husband and son of the current caretaker. The
main brown curtains on the hall windows and
stage were paid for by the Friends. The hall
continues to be looked after lovingly by the
long term caretaker - Annette Chandler. |
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What can you do? |
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Email the
powers that be at Elmbridge
Council now
(details at top of this page). |
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Sign the
petition at
www.ipetitions.com/petition/weybridge_hall |
Copyright Graham Winton
6 March 2011 |
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