Peterborough vows to fight proposed sale of community centre council 'should not even consider'

Mayor Nick Sandford has called for Peterborough City Council to rethink the decision to place Paston Farm on a list of community buildings that could be sold.

The centre in Freston was one of 79 community centres, children’s centres, contact centres, libraries, leisure facilities and green spaces placed on a list of assets that could be sold off to raise cash under the previous Conservative administration.

The full list is still secret but the new Peterborough First-led council has said it will be carrying out a review of the list and will take into consideration the “needs of community groups” when making decisions.

The centre as Paston is operated by the Paston Farm Community Foundation. Centre Manager at Paston Farm, Emma Dalton, was only informed on Wednesday (November 15) of the uncertain future that the centre faces; news which Cllr Sandford, who represents Paston and Walton ward, has said came as a “bombshell.”

A petition has been launched to save the centre, it can be found at change.org.

Cllr Sandford added: “As soon as I found about the centre’s position on the list, I told the council that I would be there with placards and doing whatever necessary to stop the sale.

"We are talking about a place that does so much vitally important work in one of the most socially deprived areas of Peterborough.

"There is a food back, a community cafe open five days a week, space for the community to use. There is nowhere like it offering the same provision in the area.

"This is a crucial service for the area and it’s closure should not even be considered and I told the council I will be pushing as hard as I can against it.

"There should be conversations about the future of Paston Farm but not under the threat of its closure.”

Cllr Sandford has further called for the list of community assets that could be sold off to be published.

He added: “There’s been an appalling lack of community and transparency, which is not the first time for Peterborough City Council.

"They need to be engaging with the operators of these centres, who I have always found to bevery public-spirited and amenable to new ideas.

“At Paston Farm, they’ve not even been talking to the trustees, there’s been no discussion with the other ward councillors. Keeping things secret is just causing more upset.”