No Rate Increase for 2021

At a meeting last week, the Community Centre Committee decided not to raise room hire rates for the coming year.

Vice Chair Sue Hardacre said "It had been our policy to adjust the rates each year in line with general inflation, usually by just a couple of percentage points. But with so much uncertainty about the future and with so many organisations struggling to navigate a way forward, we thought it sensible to defer any increase for another year."

The Community Centre has seen its income from lettings drop dramatically, but funds have been helped by three grants from CW&C as part of their pandemic support measures. This has made a significant difference, though most will be returned to CW&C to pay for the proportion of heating, water and Caretaker costs that that the Community Centre has to meet each year. Having the Caretaker, Chris Leavy every weekday has ensured that the building has been kept spotless, repairs and decoration have been completed and any building maintenance needed has been actioned quickly.

Sue said "We are so looking forward to welcoming people back though appreciate this might happen slowly. Thanks to the wonderful support we have had over the years, we have been able to undertake improvements during this last year while maintaining a sensible level of funds to move into the future with confidence. Being able to keep rates at last year's level is just one way that we hope to ensure that the future, when it finally arrives, will be as vibrant and as varied as the past".