Residents want to retain community control

RESIDENTS have held public meetings in an effort to retain community control at Neilstown Community Centre (NCC).

According to residents who have been involved on the board of NCC for many years, South Dublin County Council intend to grant a one-year management licence to South Dublin Partnership.

They say there has been a lack of consultation by the council despite their best efforts, citing some “difficult meetings” with the local authority since December.

A similar situation is occurring at Rowlagh Community Centre, with residents there asking people to join them in the “fight to regain control” of the facility (The Echo July 8).

A key concern by Neilstown residents are fears that the centre will “lose it’s identity” as a place set up by local people for local people, many of whom who raised money from their own pockets to help establish the centre back in the 1980s.

Feeling at a loss with the lack of clarity from the council, residents in Neilstown and Rowlagh held public meetings last week, to inform the community of the situation.

Both resident groups in Neilstown and Rowlagh claim South Dublin County Council do not support the community to lead the management of either centre.

“We want to maintain positive relationship with [the council], and be supported in a community-led model,” said Grace Wills, a Neilstown resident.

“There was a good turnout and great energy at the meeting despite the bad weather, Covid and holidays. Residents see the importance of having an AGM where they can nominate and/or vote for the committee as set out in the constitution.  No doubt that there is community support for the management committee.

“There was also discussion around supporting the existing committee to continue their negotiations with [the council] to secure agreement for continuing the community led management model.”

The Echo asked South Dublin County Council about the claim that they do not support the community to lead the management of either centre.

A spokesperson for the council said: “South Dublin County Council is committed to supporting all local communities to develop strong community centre management plans for council funded buildings.

“We continue to work with our partners and the community in Neilstown and Rowlagh and our staff will be working closely with all parties to ensure best practice governance and operational planning is in place.”

From the residents perspective, so far, these negotiations have been “unsuccessful.”

In November 2020, the NCC volunteer board of management were instructed, by the council that the centre should remain closed.

The volunteer board believe the council seemed to think there was no board of management in place, despite informing the council they “worked hard to increase membership to nine members” eager to work with them to improve the centre’s management and community services but the council did not reply.

The board said a number of services are eager to return to the centre but the local authority refuses to reinstate staff, preventing a phased reopening.

At a third meeting with the council, an invitation was extended for three to four nominees from the existing committee to the proposed oversight group.

NCC committee requested written terms of reference for the roles and what they entail, but this was not clarified and the NCC committee were unable to consider the council’s proposal.

“The timing of it all was insensitive, during lockdowns when there was no opportunity to get leaders and groups together and people were distracted,” said Ms Wills.

“The energy at the meetings last week was incredible. People want to retain the centres as it was built for the community. People like Mary Power knocked on doors in the community for years, collecting 50p from every family every week and nobody refused in the 1980s. That commitment is still there.

“It doesn’t make sense to give it to the Partnership for one year. The council could have said ‘we’ll give it a year’ but instead the words ‘clean sweep’ was used.

“It has been a very tough time but the group of people on the management committee are probably the best group of people I’ve ever worked with. All working together as a team. It gives you the motivation to keep going.”