Government bureaucracy hitting village halls
Cornwall's MPs have spoken out against Government plans to limit village halls to twelve Temporary Events Notices (TENs) only each year, putting enormous restraints
on fund raising, vital for the upkeep of thousands of village halls throughout Cornwall.
The proposals mean that village halls will not be able to sell alcohol at more that twelve events per year, if they remain unlicensed. A license can only be obtained at
substantial cost as well as requiring a full time volunteer to administer. Results of a recent village halls survey, conducted by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), reveal the damaging effects that Government proposals will have on Cornish village halls. 29% of halls use between nine and fifteen TENs each year,
with a further 23% using over sixteen each year.
All five of Cornwall's Liberal Democrat MPs have been working hard to secure greater Lottery funding from the Government for village halls, which they believe provide
the social keystone for thousands of small Cornish villages. In November last year The Big Lottery Fund pledged £50 million of funding, over three years. However, MPs believe if these proposals are implemented, this pledge will do little to help the
problems created by Government restrictions on selling alcohol.
Matthew Taylor MP (Truro and St Austell) said:
"This is yet another example of the Government giving with one hand but taking away with the other. These halls are vital to our small communities, enabling people to
come together for various social events, and providing vital facilities for everything from the playgroup to the pantomime.
"The Government may think it's tackling anti-social behaviour, but in reality it's taking a sledge-hammer to a nut, and threatening small communities in the process."
Commenting, Dan Rogerson MP (North Cornwall) added:
"It is ridiculous that legislation is further undermining the viability of village and community halls, which should be a thriving part of town and village life. The
Government needs to review the situation to ensure that local halls which are often run by volunteers are not further disadvantaged."
