Questions over future of ‘lifeline’ Scunthorpe community centre due to high energy costs and location debate

A community centre described as “a lifeline” by users has an uncertain future, because of energy costs and different views over where it should be.

Scunthorpe is located by the town’s bus station, in Lindum Street, and regularly has 800-900 users a week. Last winter, its gas and electric bills reportedly topped over £10,000 a month. It wants a more efficient energy system, and there are long-term aspirations to rebuild, with social housing.

Labour Cllrs Darryl Southern, Tony Ellerby (Frodingham Ward), Lorraine Yeadon and Mashook Ali (Town Ward), who are also trustees, are frustrated by a perceived lack of urgency on the council’s part. They do not think council proposals to move would work.

The centre currently has under one roof meeting and activities rooms, the café, a hall, sports hall, and small outdoor area. Conservative council leader Cllr Rob Waltham (Brigg and Wolds Ward) said the council believes the centre’s relocation could aid High Street regeneration.

Read More: ‘A lifeline’ – the community centre that sees over 800 people a week through its doors

‘Starship Enterprise’ boiler

The centre’s immediate challenge are its gas and electric costs. Administrator Adam Doncaster showed its boiler room. Effectively as old as the 1973-opened centre itself, it is a hot blower system that heats all water and sends hot air around the centre. Adam described it as “like the Starship Enterprise” because of the numerous lights and buttons. “But if you want to heat a room over in the left-hand corner, you’ve got to have the whole system on,” said Adam. “So that means we’re heating all the water all the time, all day.”

“Last year, when the prices went up for gas and electric, we were paying £10,000 a month,” he said, and in approximately the last 18 months, it had paid over £100,000 on gas and electric. Its end of 2022 accounts show that year it spent £25,000 on heat and light.

Last winter, a £70,000 Cost of Living Grant through National Lottery and government, and community fundraising, helped it survive. “You couldn’t run a place like this without people giving their time and the effort. The effort they give is unreal, and to do the fundraising activities, they’re what kept us going.”

Gas and electric bills have fallen, but it is still shelling out c.£3,000 a month. “If winter kicks in now, and we have to crank up the heating, we’re scuppered,” said Cllr Southern.

Long-term future

The centre leases the building from the council. There have been meetings about gas and electric costs and its long-term future since 2020, Cllrs Southern and Ellerby said.

In the short-term, the centre desires changes to save energy costs. Solar panels and an air source heat pump have been suggested.

“They’ve said our roof’s not compatible with solar,” said Cllr Southern. As for investment such as an air source heat pump, he claimed a council officer once said, “You can only put so much lipstick on a pig.”

“They don’t quite understand what this facility actually does for Scunthorpe. We’re very passionate to keep this place going, but sadly feeling the thoughts of the council aren’t the same as ours.”

Long-term, the centre and its councillor trustees favour a complete rebuild with social housing, using vacant site land. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to put the two things together, social housing and the community centre,” enthused Cllr Ellerby. “You could have something really modern that could last another generation,” said Adam. The council have suggested moving to a smaller vacant unit closer to the High Street.

The centre’s organisers fear it would split things up across different sites. The unit would not have a sports hall, with the current council suggestion in this scenario to arrange access to the Engineering UTC.

“If they tried to move it, to the shopping centre, it’s a totally different atmosphere, a totally different feeling of security and safety,” said Cllr Yeadon. “I don’t think we have a community centre in North Lincolnshire that’s as busy,” said Cllr Southern.

Conservative council leader’s response

Council leader Cllr Waltham said the council had worked with the centre “for a number of months”. This included with Ongo, and a Cole Street alternative venue was found. He argued this would have met customers’ needs and being in the High Street area, “could have supported thousands more residents every year”.

“This would have supported them being a sustainable enterprise, sadly the trustees refused this venue. The trustees which are dominated by Labour Party representatives, are supposedly still working with the council to find a venue that meets their needs.”

“We committed government funding for Scunthorpe in January 2024 to improve all community centres across North Lincolnshire,” he said. In August, they were told the funding was on hold, but were recently told it is available again. Cllr Waltham said the council would continue to work with community centres to ensure investment to create better access to residents across Scunthorpe to attend them.

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“We are really keen to regenerate the High Street and think that the relocation of the community centre could help with this. There is no use people complaining about the number of empty shops when we have an opportunity to use some of them, we need to seize that opportunity, particularly if it could create better access to use community facilities.” He noted the market’s move to the former BHS, and council offices into town, to increase footfall.

Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe