At a council meeting on 17 October, Kingston's ruling Liberal Democrat councillors refused to back a Conservative motion to prevent the closure and sell-off of community halls. 

The motion, which was also backed by independent councillors, aimed to prevent Kingston Council selling off more council owned halls, and also to support local groups in maintaining halls for the benefit of the local community. 

The motion, proposed by Conservative councillor Ian George, stated: "The residents of Kingston have lost, and are continuing to lose, the use of local community halls in the borough. Kingston Council should proactively help support local communities by keeping them open, rather than letting them fall into disrepair and flogging them off to developers, as has been the case recently." 

Cllr George said: "These halls are vital for local community groups, classes and events that make a positive impact to local communities, bringing people together for educational, health and wellbeing purposes. 

"Rather than accept the loss of local halls, and flogging off the sites for yet more flats, Kingston Council should proactively help local residents organise, start groups and maintain the buildings so that they thrive and remain sustainable. 

"As well as administrative support from the Council, funds could be made available from the payments received from local developers. Too often the income resulting from development is not spent wisely on providing benefits for the local community. Supporting local community halls and hubs would directly help the local communities that are impacted by the ever-increasing density of new housing developments in the borough." 

Despite hearing details of three recent closures (the hall at Norbiton Station, Barnfield Youth Club in Parkfields Road and the Chessington British Legion hall), several LibDem councillors sdid not accept that community halls were under threat. 

Cllr Noel Hadjimichael said in response: "We have a commitment to community assets- that is part of our DNA. However, the language used 'flogging off'... 'local community hall', the imprecise nature with no budget, no timetable, and no detail, causes me to suspect that this is a well-meaning but ineffectual motion." 

Following her colleague's statement, Cllr Gerladine Grocott said she did not support the motion because she "do[es] not believe the premise is wholly factual". 

Speaking on the community centre in her ward, King George's and Sunray, Cllr Groscott said it is "regularly used for bingo and line-dancing...classes and events that make a positive impact on the local community, the local dance school and the global threads group. And it has groups that come together to combat loneliness and address mental and physical wellbeing." 

Cllr Grocott added the lease has recently come to an end, the council opened the management of a new lease to ensure greater and wider use of the centre by the community by asking for bids from those who want the centre to be even more inclusive. 

Building up another image of community hubs, Cllr Olly Wehring spoke anecdotally a north Kingston meeting last year which saw provided funding to local groups buildings. Two Kings Boxing Clubs and Friends of Kingston Road Recreational Group proposed to bring two disused pavilions back into community use, both of which saw its launch this summer. 

Cllr Wehring added, if residents could think of disused community pavilions which could be brought back into use, they should drop the councillors a line. He stated: "The money is there and so is the will." 

The three speaking LibDem councillors gave examples of community halls which are frequently used by residents and local groups: The Ancient Market House, King's Centre, St Mary's Church Hall, the Malden Centre and the Hook Centre. 

Kingston Independent Residents Group (KIRG) Cllr James Giles said: "I'm stunned this evening that we've got two opposition groups trying to be pragmatic, trying to put on the record our commitment to community halls with the view to protecting them...while you guys are sitting there...sit[ing] on your hands and not proposing anything constructive." 

Voting on the item, four councillors voted in favour, while 40 councillors were against- concluding the motion was not carried. 

On reflecting at the lack of support for the motion from the Lib Dem councillors, Cllr Ian George said: "It is a shame that the LibDems did not support saving local community halls. I can only presume that the flogging off of our halls will continue. 

"Rather than making political points, and being negative, something very positive could have come from supporting the motion. It seems that Kingston's LibDems just can't be bothered."