SAVE LAUREL ROAD COMMUNITY SPORTS CENTRE

The next Handsworth Against the Cuts & Save Laurel Road Campaign meeting will be on Tuesday 25th February 7.00pm at Laurel Road Centre.

There will also be a demonstration in support of the Laurel Road Centre at the next Handsworth Ward committee meeting on Wednesday 26th February at 7.00 pm at Cherry Orchard School, Cherry Orchard Road, Birmingham B20 2LB.

The campaigners have agreed a resolution which they have requested to be on the agenda at the meeting:

As local residents and users we believe that the Laurel Road Centre should remain owned and run by the city council.

We therefore call on our elected Birmingham City Council (BCC) to abandon the proposed Community Asset Transfer of the Laurel Road Centre.

We call on the City Council to fully manage and to retain full ownership of the Laurel Road Community Sports Centre assets on behalf of the people of Handsworth.

To strengthen community participation in the running of the Centre, we propose:

The formation of a Laurel Road independent users group, open to all users of the premises,
- fully constituted and with equal voting rights for each group,
- an appropriate role for staff to participate in the development of the centre,
- the formation of a ‘Friends of Laurel Road’ group, which would be fully constituted, and represent the people and interest groups within the Handsworth community,
- the above groups would be constituted as a steering committee to work with the BCC management team in running and planning the future development of the Centre seeking:
  - Investment
  - Publicity
  - To increase community participation and develop the use of Centre as a community, sporting and social resource in accordance with the needs and wishes of the people of Handsworth.