A crisis at a community centre has led to volunteers being told to quit, writes Matt Childe.

Members of the Blackbird Leys Community Association have been accused of "financial and management irregularities" at a community centre at the heart of the Oxford housing estate.

Council officials, who earlier sent in consultants to try to rescue the centre, have now told volunteers they must go by April 1 next year, but will not confirm how much cash is involved. The move has sparked fears that the community centre and social club could close down.

Cllr John Tanner, leader of Oxford City Council, said: "A series of allegations have been made by local people about the running of the community centre which, if true, are worrying.

"We have been talking to the community association and they have not responded in a way that we would like. The community association trustees have received a notice to quit that will take 12 months to take effect." The city council owns the community centre building, in Blackbird Leys Road, and leases it to a community association made up of volunteers.

A report by council managers in January said there were "allegations of financial irregularities" and claimed day-to-day running of the community centre "gave cause for concern".

Consultants discovered a lack of financial planning, a drop in bar takings and falling membership.

An action plan was agreed to tackle the crisis, including improving publicity and training volunteers. Council staff were also called upon to inspect financial records and bar receipts. The notice to quit was served after volunteers failed to allay the council's concerns. A crisis meeting between local councillors and members of the community association's management committee will be held on Monday.

If the allegations against the community association are found to be true, or volunteers fail to co-operate with the council's action plan, the community centre could be put under council control.

Mr Tanner added: "The leisure department will now begin discussions with the community centre to see if we can get to the bottom of this. "If the allegations prove true and nothing is done about them, we may have to take the community centre back into council control. We have to serve a notice to quit to do that."

He added: "We are absolutely committed to continuing a community centre in Blackbird Leys and one way or another we will keep it open."

Blackbird Leys councillor Tony Stockford said he hoped the community centre could still be saved.

He told the Oxford Mail: "The council will support any move which puts the club back on a viable footing and that gets the club up and running again." Cliff Hornblow, treasurer of the community centre, declined to comment on the notice to quit last night "because of the repercussions".

However, when contacted by the Oxford Mail last week, he blamed it on the community association refusing to allow the council to use the centre for local council elections on May 6.

Mr Hornblow had claimed the need to convert the centre into a polling station would force a fundraising Aunt Sally match the previous night to be cancelled.

He said: "As far as I'm concerned the election row is the reason why. I can't think of any other reason." Mr Tanner denied that the dispute had anything to do with the notice to quit.

The crisis at Blackbird Leys Community Centre comes a year after debts of more than £70,000 were discovered at Donnington Community Centre, in Townsend Square. It was recently re-launched with a new management structure.

Story date: Thursday 08 April

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