Progress continues on our work to turn around the fortunes of the pitches on West End Street in Coldhurst so we can realise our ambitions of turning the venue into a community institution that can properly serve local people in the way they deserve.
The previous Labour government brought the pitches to the area but 14 years of cuts under the Tories put this sports venue under threat, only being saved due to the hard work of local Labour councillors.
After visiting before the election in July to reaffirm our support for it to remain a community facility and be refurbished; we visited again in August with Councillor Jabbar to see how the site could be put to better use for local people and be turned into a facility run for and by members of the community; before then hosting a clean-up event in October with local organisations, volunteers, community groups and the Council to begin the fight to transform the pitches as a revitalised community hub in the hands of local people.
Ever since, hard work has been put in behind the scenes to create the framework for local co-operative ownership of the venue. Thanks to the work of our Labour-led Council, we are now in the process of:
– planning engagement with the surrounding community with a series of of meetings/engagement opportunities to encourage resident involvement to help shape the co-operative’s priorities;
– exploring initial funding options to secure the long-term viability of the site and surveying the site to understand the costs of ensuring the pitch is usable & in good condition; and then
– planning engagement with stakeholders such as engage local sports clubs, schools, & VCFSE organisations to establish usage agreements and programming opportunities.
We want to get the most out of this opportunity for the community so the pitches are well used and local people are empowered.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 