Councillors quiz £600k plan to revive community centres
Rotherham councillors have examined the council’s £600,000 investment programme for community buildings, including a long-awaited rescue package for Kimberworth Park’s Black Hut.
The programme includes a £200,000 rescue package for Kimberworth Park’s Black Hut, which has stood empty since May 2024 after health and safety inspections uncovered “significant compliance failures.”
At today’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, members questioned officers on how the works will be delivered, how centres will be maintained in future, and how communities will be involved in shaping the plans.
Structural repairs, full electrical rewiring, roof and rafter works, insulation and LED lighting are among the upgrades promised for the Black Hut, with the aim of reopening it by March 2026.
The scrutiny meeting also heard updates on other centres set to benefit, including Oaklea Retreat, Clifton Learning Centre, the Meeting Place in Wingfield and Artworks at Brook Hill. As well as energy-efficiency improvements, officers confirmed they are exploring solar panels and heat pumps to cut running costs and support the council’s net zero goals.
Judith Badger, RMBC’s strategic director of finance and customer services, said the budget decision was ‘around a number of specific buildings that had been identified that needed some structural works to make sure that they were appropriately compliant and can do what they are being used to do’.
Ms Badger added that the council’s property and facility team is currently undertaking condition surveys across all the council’s buildings, which will then help to protitise works.
Kevin Fisher, assistant director in property and facilities services, said the council had started by using existing condition surveys from a number of buildings, initially driven by issues at the Black Hut. He explained that officials combined these technical surveys with feedback from local communities about what they felt was needed, helping to match physical condition with demand.
As a result, buildings were prioritised for work, with the focus now shifting to social care settings, schools, community centres and what Mr Fisher described as “front door services” where residents directly engage with the council. He said the longer-term goal was to develop a broader maintenance and investment plan, which would include more community centres and public buildings.
Mr Fisher admitted the council’s existing leases with community groups had not been ideal, limiting its ability to gather information, carry out certain activities or audit buildings properly. “We’ve probably not done that effectively over the last couple of years for whatever reason that may be,” he said. Moving forward, the aim is to introduce stronger leases and build closer connections with community groups, both through the property arrangements and the people within the authority.
A report to the committee said new lease and governance arrangements would be introduced to prevent a repeat of the issues that led to the Black Hut’s closure, and consultation with neighbourhood teams and community groups would help shape the programme.
The committee’s findings will be fed into cabinet before final approval of the detailed works schedule.