EASTLEIGH council chiefs could be plotting to oust a community group at the centre of a row over a village library.
Bursledon and District Community Association caused outrage when they ‘evicted’ the local parish council over claims they had breached their lease.
The parish has now been locked out of its own offices in the Lowford Centre where the library they run with an army of volunteers is also based, leaving them unmanned for nearly a fortnight.
Now civic chiefs are planning to give the association, headed by John Misselbrook, a taste of their own medicine.
At a meeting of the Bursledon Parish Council, Eastleigh Borough Council boss Keith House told residents he was looking for a “loophole” to prove the association (BDCA) had breached its own lease.
As previously reported Cllr House was previously a member of the community association board but stepped down after claiming that BDCA had “questions to answer” over its handling of the situation.
The meeting was attended by around twenty residents and volunteers who vented their frustrations, calling for “common sense” and the charity watchdog to step in. Resident Richard Habgood is planning a petition and wants to refer BDCA to the Charity Commission.
He said: “It’s a scandal that we’re having to use ratepayers’ money to fund any legal action.
“The parish council has no control over that – they’ve got to get back our facility.”
Cllr House, who resigned from the BDCA’s board last week as the row erupted, told the meeting: “We’re still looking at what opportunities we might have to see very closely how BDCA have acted and whether we can find a loophole as to whether they have breached their lease.
“From the borough council’s perspective, we’ve invested a lot of public money in the centre. We want it to be used for the purpose it was set out for, which is use for the community.”
Eastleigh Borough Council owns the £4m building, which opened two years ago and comprises a GP surgery, volunteer-run library, cafe, community centre and parish offices.
BDCA holds a long lease and rented the library and offices to the parish council, which put £50,000 towards its construction.
But the eviction last week came after a long-standing row over how the library was used.
Reasons for the eviction given by BDCA included that the parish council had put up posters in the library, an apparent breach of its lease.
Other alleged breaches included failure to order background checks on volunteers (DBS checks) and using the library for “unpermitted” groups, such as knit and knatter, scrabble club and the local history society.
Sharon Rhymes, of Hampshire Library Service, confirmed that library staff and volunteers do not require DBS checks.
Library volunteer and parish councillor Diane Andrewes (CORR) said: “We want all the groups in the community to come into the library and then they’ll be borrowing books.
“We were operating according to the permitted use of the library but Mr Misselbrook doesn’t seem to understand that.”
John Misselbrook, BDCA chairman, denied they had breached its lease and said he would seek legal advice if it was accused of doing so. He added: “They’re welcome to contact the Charity Commission and Companies House as well.
“We’re a very well-run charity and we stick by our leases and we stick by our agreements.”
