Meeting to set up a sports association to run the community centre will be organised

The centre, part of Guilsfield Primary School is owned by Powys County Council, and is leased to the community centre trustees.

But, wrangling over decisions made in the past, including questions over land ownership saw the community centre face closure three years ago, before Guilsfield Community Council stepped in to help out.

At the GCC November meeting, vice-chairman Cllr Glynne Turner, who has been managing the centre since 2018, said that he would be stepping down from the role at the end of March 2021.

At a meeting on Wednesday, December 16, councillors were given four options on the way forward for the centre.

Councillor Turner, said: “We were asked to help out for six months, I am worried if we continue, it may bring the council into disrepute as we have done it for three years on that basis and it may look like we’re running the organisation when we’re not.

“I believe there are four options.”

Councillor Turner explained that these are: “Let it collapse, which is not really an option.

“Carry on as we are, but who will do the work?

“The most probable is to form a community amateur sports club or something like that. ”

He told councillors that sports clubs who use the facilities should be asked to attend a meeting to discuss how to set up an organisation with a committee to run it.

The final option would be to give control back to trustees.

Chairman of Guilsfield cricket club, David Williams, said that the sports community club idea involving those who use the facility could be the way forward in the long term.

Mr Williams, said: “I fully support anything that moves this forward, and not only just keeps it running, but invests and makes it a facility that the village can all buy into and use.”

The problem over the building is that community centre trustees are in limbo.

They are waiting for the Charity Commission to provide information on the legal standing of who actually owns land that was bought on behalf of the community centre.

GCC Chairman, Cllr Ian Harrison said that trustees had heard from the commission and a meeting was being arranged to discuss their findings.

Cllr Harrison, said: “There is an opportunity to resolve the legal structure of the land leases and ownership from the day to day running of the facilities.”

“First step then is to bring stakeholders together early in the new year to share ideas on how to establish a sporting association.”

The motion was approved.