Community Halls

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Elmbridge, and Walton in particular, have benefited from having a variety of halls available for public use. Church Halls, School Halls and others have complemented the 9 Halls that had long been run by Elmbridge Borough Council. These nine halls ran local events, from Playgroups for toddlers to Old Folks Clubs, from yoga to boxing. However, two years ago, the administration at Elmbridge Council pushed through the decision to close down Ansell Hall on Fieldcommon, and then there were 8. The following year Vine Hall and Mole Hall in Molesey were threatened with closure if no other voluntary group could be found to take on the responsibility for running them. This year, Weybridge Hall is under the spotlight with plans to request hirers there to transfer their activities to the Weybridge Day Centre, or elsewhere. What happens if they do not agree is left unsaid, but you get the impression that this may be an “offer they cannot refuse”.  The savings to the Council of around £12,000 a year each are minimal in comparison to its £20 million a year budget, but the impact on local communities especially ones like Fieldcommon that are away from town centres, can only be harmful.  Instead of the Big Society, there is a “drip by drip” erosion of the community facilities built up over decades.