Youth club in Ludlow told it must share space
Decisions have not yet been made over what will happen to rooms at Ludlow Youth Centre – but the young people will have to share their space, MP Philip Dunne told them during a meeting.
The MP joined Shropshire Council's cabinet member for youth services Councillor Gwilym Butler at the centre on a fact-finding mission last night.
Council staff are due to move into the building from April 1 as Ludlow's Stone House offices close, but campaigners at the centre are angry they were not consulted or informed until the last minute. They are unhappy that they will lose space currently used as meeting rooms.
The pair were guided around the rooms, some of which had already been cleared, before talking to the young people, as staff, councillors and campaigners looked on.
Mr Butler said plans for the centre were far from finalised and urged the young people to have their say as part of a Shropshire-wide consultation on the future of youth services announced this week.
He said since many of the rooms were unused during the day they could serve a dual purpose. In order to keep services running buildings must be used more efficiently, he said.
"We can't afford to run all the buildings we have," he said, "In Ludlow what that means is we have to vacate Stone House."
He said people using office space in the youth centre would be paying for that use.
"I think by stretching the assets it means we will have a youth centre in Ludlow for the long term."
Daniel Clewlow, 16, asked: "If decisions have not been made, why are you already clearing out the rooms?
"Our problem isn't sharing, it's the effect it will have on the groups when we're here.
Nathan Davies, 16, said: "If the craft room gets turned into offices I don't see how it could be dual purpose.
"It could lead to a point where we couldn't go back."
Youth worker Sammy Powell said builders had moved in and activities rooms made out of bounds without any consultation beforehand.
"The council has worked so hard to get children to own this building and then they are being told they are having bits taken away," she said.
She said there was also an issue with access for wheelchair users if the main room had to be used for workshops.
Ludlow South Councillor Vivienne Parry added that a lot of work had gone into setting up the music room, with £1,000 of equipment there that the young people were now unable to use.
Mr Dunne said: "I went to understand the usage of the building by the various youth clubs in Ludlow, and their concerns about the facilities available to them. I was encouraged that they understood the idea of sharing space and was keen to encourage them to participate in the consultation."
He acknowledged there were issues to be resolved in that an office could not also be used as a play space.
