Closing The Wells Centre

The Council agenda for Tuesday 8 December includes the proposed closure of The Wells Centre.

This has not previously appeared as a clear proposal at any committee meeting with sufficient notice for the public to ask questions about it, so it has not benefitted from the scrutiny of public opinion.

Instead it has been treated as so confidential that opposition councillors who leaked news of it have been disciplined.

The first opportunity for the public to discuss the plan will be at a public meeting at The Wells Centre on Wednesday, the day after the decision has been taken.

This is no way to operate a democratic council. The ruling RA party should be ashamed of themselves.

They correctly point out that due to cuts by the Conservative government, savings have to be made, requiring difficult decisions. However council services that are valued by the public should be the last to be cut, not the first. After all, what is the point of having a council at all if it doesn't provide taxpayers with the services they need?

In the case of The Wells Centre it is claimed that all that would be lost is a venue for a play group (as if that didn't matter to local residents anyway), but in fact the centre also provides the venue for the local hair dresser and for Sunday worship services organised by Christ Church, Epsom Common.

Public Transport to The Wells is very limited and does not run in the evenings or on Sundays, which is why The Wells Centre was built in the first place and one of the reasons for the popularity of the play group, retired peoples activities, hair dresser and the Sunday worship service of Christ Church on The Wells.

Drastic measures by the council may be called for, but this plan is a serious mistake.