Centres of concern

The Haxby and Wigginton Oaken Grove Community Centre has now lost more than £17,000 a year in council grants, much of which enabled us to run a successful youth club on two or three evenings a week.

We were already struggling to break even financially, and this is putting at great risk the continued operation of the centre beyond the next two years.

We still receive financial support from Haxby and Wigginton, but otherwise we rely on fundraising, room hire, etc. We are producing a business plan and increasing our efforts to raise funds, but we have a large black hole to fill.

We also provide a weekly lunch club for the elderly, as well as other community services for all ages.

We have to fully maintain a council-owned building and playing field, but have seen no evidence of the alleged help available from the assistant director for communities. I hope the council is aware of the valuable service we provide, and will be prepared to help us continue.

Mike Miller, Chairman, Haxby and Wigginton Youth and Community Association, Oaken Grove, Haxby, York.

• I WAS astounded to read in The Press that the council is holding Tang Hall Community Centre up as a financial model for others to follow.

Tang Hall is very much larger than Foxwood Community Centre with rooms upstairs which are let out to national organisations, a large hall, kitchen, three meeting rooms and a huge office which is being split into two to accommodate another national charitable organization.

Contrast this with Foxwood, which has a hall, kitchen, office and meeting room and perhaps you can see why there is local anger about the cavalier way in which local facilities and volunteers are being treated.

York communities are losing the support from the council for all the community centres and local fetes, blaming the cuts, but can still manage to squander £600,000 on making York a 20mph zone.

I’m sure there is something wrong here.

John Hillyer, Otterwood Lane, Acomb, York.