13/02/07Harriet has written to Councillor Nick Stanton after receiving news that funding to the Beormund Centre, a vital community centre in her constituency of Camberwell and Peckham, is to be significantly cut back.
The proposed 18% cut would mean the loss of 3 part time members of staff. The Beormund Centre is currently running with the ‘leanest ship’ it has ever operated with, and this staff cut would mean the centre would be in severe danger of closure. The service that the Beormund Centre provides relies on the dedication and hard work of its staff – the contracted hours for the staff are not even half of the hours they put in, and they source funding from elsewhere.
The Beormund Centre is a Job Centre credited provider and accredited for NVQ examinations, offers education, training and advice as well as offering a range of services through their facilities. Just a few examples are the Over-50s Healthy Living Programme, Carers’ classes and football clubs. They also run valuable childcare services.
The Beormund Centre provides a valuable service to local people which Harriet has visited and seen on a number of occasions.
In her letter, Harriet urges Councillor Stanton not to allow any cuts to the funding of the centre. Any reduction in the facilities would make the centre’s viability precarious – the danger of the loss of greatly needed services from a well-run centre which gives the Council and local community very good value for money.