‘They’re magical’: Council hears from community centre staff ahead of potential closures

Highbury Roundhouse is one of 48 council-owned assets that will be reviewed. Image: Julia Gregory

Staff and volunteers responsible for Islington’s community centres have stressed how valuable their spaces are for residents, as the council’s review into its 48 hubs gets underway.

At the homes and communities scrutiny committee last Thursday, residents told stories of working out of rundown buildings and the impact of Covid-19, but also the “magic” these services provide for people.

Elaine Maffrett, former council worker and manager of Tufnell Park’s Hilldrop Community Centre, said she owed her career to the day she walked through its doors. 

“In 1999, I was on my own with a two-year-old. I didn’t have any skills, didn’t know where I was going — but I had the luck to walk into a place where I got six hours a week admin work.

“I could only take it because there was a half day nursery—The Laundry—downstairs.

“They trained me, sending me on IT courses, and I got my adult qualification in teaching, before I ran their learning centre.”

In 2008, Maffrett started working for Islington Council as a learning manager, before taking on the running of Hilldrop in 2018.

“That’s the magic that a community centre can bring. My career comes off the back of walking into one.”

Committee members also heard from Doris Hester, who runs Goodinge Community Centre in Holloway, which received a brand new building in 2018 after a long period of dilapidation.

She urged the council to consider the expertise of those volunteers behind the day-to-day running of the spaces.

“Most of [them] are people who have gone through and have come in just to use the facilities, have issues with depression, isolation, poverty.

“They know what it’s like to be out there. It’s a struggle, but it’s about seeing those people coming through our doors and smiling at us.

“If people are having trouble with housing and benefits, we will go through it with them. Our office is their office.”

Last month, Islington Council kickstarted its review into the scores of community spaces it owns, in a bid to “better respond to local need”.

But while members heard compelling accounts of how community centres are run, there was limited discussion of the Town Hall’s financial challenges and how it will influence the final decision once the review is over.

A report from the council released on 14 October stated that keeping all of its 48 assets open would be “very challenging” amid the borough’s need to tighten its belt.

Cllr Sheila Chapman (Labour), executive member for equalities, communities and inclusion, also admitted that some centres not directly managed by the Town Hall were being run poorly.

She spoke of some cases where the council was unaware of who held keys to buildings used for community activites, and did not know for certain how much managers were charging residents.

At Thursday’s meeting, Cllr Mick Gilgunn (Labour) underlined that these centres were a “priceless asset”, while acknowledging looming “financial problems”.

But scrutiny chair Cllr Jason Jackson (Labour) encouraged members to use the time to focus on the perspectives of volunteers and staff, since budget pressures were already understood by the committee.

There was no discussion as to which centres were more or less likely to close as a result of the council’s review.

As part of the review, commitee members were encouraged to visit community spaces across the borough.

Cllr Phil Graham (Independent) echoed Cllr Chapman’s earlier concerns around management.

He recalled how Vibast—one of the three hubs the council now directly operates—was once run under the “personal fiefdom” of the tenants and residents association (TRA).

“It’s now working really well, but I insist that the committee go around visiting different centres, and please, make sure local ward councillors know you’re coming.

“Give them a chance to be there, and to speak on behalf of these assets. It’s us who get involved, we can see what’s going on, and we have a very big stake in the community centres.

“If necessary, we’ll fight for them tooth and nail,” he said.

Maffrett also raising the value that local councillors played in the provision of community spaces, pointing out that Cllrs Trisha Clark and Satnam Gip serve as trustees of Hilldrop.

While centre organisers and volunteers in general praised the support they have received from the council over the years, they complained about relying on the same repairs support as social housing residents.

“The issues housing tenants go through, we go through the same. Half the time, that’s why the building’s in such a state of disrepair.”

Last year, the social housing Ombudsman condemned Islington Council over several instances of “severe maladministration” when dealing with repairs, maintenance and handling of complaints.