Community group celebrates after council u-turn

After months of meetings between the council and the associations from Pinner Hill, Harrow Weald, Churchill Place, Brookside, Grange Farm and Woodlands and Kenmore Park they will be permitted to use the halls for free from Monday to Thursday.

Debbie Steers runs activities for all ages through the Pinner Hill Tenant's and Resident's Association and was forced to shut down the popular youth group, and others, which were lauded by the police and the council for reducing vandalism in the area.

The clubs and groups, including non-contact boxing and bingo restarted on Monday September 19, and are as popular as ever.

TRAs are not allowed to use the halls from Friday to Sunday. If a group which is willing to pay on any other day books the hall the council must give the TRAs two week's notice to reschedule their classes.
According to HFTRA this agreement is guaranteed until March 2012.

Paddy Lyne, chairman of the Harrow Federation of Tenants' and Residents' Associations said: "We are very grateful to the housing department for listening to us.
We talked and they listened and we have come to a compromise. I think it is a very good compromise and hopefully it will continue next year."

This umbrella organisation has agreed to pay for the insurance for these groups. Many of them use fund raising and groups such as the Pinner Association to pay for equipment and courses.
However, more formal donations and grants cannot be used to pay rent.

Sue McMillan is part of the Kenmore Park TRA and said: "We were out of our hall for three years after the council said it would be three months as there was a problem with asbestos. When we finally did get back in earlier this year, they said we would have to start paying them rent. We have had to build up the numbers again from scratch which has been really difficult."