The Stockwell Centre is a well-used community centre, visited by around 1000 people a week, in an area that has the 5th highest child poverty in London. It hosts a wide range of groups and events; resident association meetings (SERA), support groups for drug/alcohol recovery, patient participation groups for the local doctor's surgery, young adult autistic support groups, police engagement, Counci
llor and MP surgeries, digital training, support for elderly, training and advice for refugees or those getting back into work, social events, the Stockwell Forum, kids' sports activities like judo and ballet. Who owns the Stockwell Centre? The Stockwell Centre was built by Hyde Southbank Homes in 2001 as part of a stock transfer deal with Lambeth Council in 1999, in which it was agreed, both verbally and in writing, that the housing association would maintain the centre for community use. What is happening to the Stockwell Centre? Hyde Housing plan to get rid of the centre and lease it to another group, with no guarantee it will stay open or provide the same services to local residents. They claim that they are making this decision for financial reasons, saying that the centre costs them too much to run. They also claim to have given the community a chance to give their views on the plan, although they have rejected requests for a public consultation meeting. Why should we fight this plan?
1. Hyde claim that the Stockwell Centre costs them too much to run, but we believe that it could pay for itself if it was well-managed by Hyde Plus.
2. We believe that Hyde, already have enough money to pay for the Stockwell Centre given that they made a £95million surplus last year and increased their senior salary bill by £1.2m.
3. We believe that Hyde failed to consult the community properly about this plan, in an attempt to implement their changes with minimal challenge.
4. We believe that Hyde have a responsibility to the community because of their original stock transfer agreement with Lambeth Council.
5. We fear that this may only be the beginning of Hyde's plans to profit from the transfer of its properties into private ownership, helped by the Housing and Planning Act 2016. What can you do to help the campaign? We have solicitors examining a legal challenge. We put forward a deputation to Lambeth Council and received a positive response. We have collected over 2000 petition signatures. Two hundred people marched through Stockwell in protest on January 21st 2017. But, we will need your help. Connect: We need to spread the word
Follow and share on Facebook or sign up to support the campaign at www.SaveTheStockwellCentre.com to find out what you can do to Save the Stockwell Centre. Comment: We need to know how people feel about the Stockwell Centre. Email us or comment on the page to tell us what you think about the Stockwell Centre, its services, and its future. Campaign: Lambeth Council agreed the transfer of the Stockwell Centre to Hyde, and we believe it is their duty to ensure that Hyde upholds its commitment to our community. Email Kate Hoey, our local MP and Matthew Bennett (Cabinet Member for Housing, Lambeth Council and insist that they out their full weight behind a challenge to Hyde's plans. Contribute: If Lambeth Council fail to hold Hyde to account, we may need to fund legal costs in order to do it ourselves.
