A change.org petition entitled “Prevent the Closure of Moving Senses Charity” has been shared with Knowsley Council.
Below, we set out the response from the Council’s Assistant Executive Director (Governance and Assets), Jemma Jones, in full, so that anyone with an interest in this issue can read it:
“As you are aware, the Council has been reviewing the viability of the Southmead Centre (where Moving Senses is located under a licence arrangement) for some time now. It is an aged building, and it has been apparent for some time that, without significant investment, it is at the end of its usable life. The condition of the building is why we have over the last few years moved all Council Services out of the Centre. The Council has been transparent with Moving Senses over recent years concerning the long-term future (or not) of this building – the Council wanted to make sure that Moving Senses understood that, unless significant investment could be identified and allocated to the building, the Southmead Centre would have to close. The reason why we wanted to be clear with Moving Senses on this point was precisely because we wanted the charity to have as much notice as possible to be able to take the necessary steps to identify alternative premises so that there was no sudden withdrawal of care or “massive disruption”, as suggested within the petition.
As matters stand, Knowsley Council, as the building owner, is the responsible body for the Southmead Centre and therefore has a legal responsibility to ensure that it remains fit for occupation and safe for those who are using it. You will yourself be well aware that the condition of the building has deteriorated and that it does not have facilities, such as suitable changing places, which are needed by your service users. Whilst the Council has permitted Moving Senses to utilise the building without charge for five years, in 2023, when granting Moving Senses a twelve-month licence to occupy the building, the Council advised Moving Senses that the licence was being provided on the basis that:-
- The ongoing occupation by Moving Senses was temporary;
- The fabric of the building was poor and it would not be financially viable for the Council to repair any element should it fail;
- Moving Senses would need to vacate the building before 31 August 2024; and,
- Moving Senses should actively continue to seek alternative accommodation.
I hope that Moving Senses therefore will accept that the current situation, in respect of the termination of your occupation of space at the Southmead Centre at the end of your current licence period, has not come in any way as a surprise.
When the Council received your request to extend the licence arrangements earlier this year, Officers were clearly aware of the deteriorating condition of the building, so commissioned a Condition Survey of the building to determine its viability at that time. That survey was undertaken on 21 May 2024 and confirmed that immediate capital investment in the region of £765,000 would be required, followed by a further capital investment estimated at £750,000 within the next 3-5 years, in order to maintain the building and ensure that it remained safe to occupy – this level of investment was required to maintain the building as is, without investing in any upgrades as may be required by those using it, and excluded day to day running costs. Such a significant level of investment is not affordable to the Council – and my understanding is that it would be similarly unaffordable to Moving Senses. In light of this position, the Council had no option but to refuse your request to extend the licence to occupy. Again, this position was not surprising given the background outlined above and the longstanding concerns about the long-term viability of the building.
I fully appreciate that this is not the response that Moving Senses wanted, but, having reviewed the information provided to me, I have no option but to endorse the conclusions reached by the Assets service and agree that it was the right decision not to extend the licence for Moving Senses to occupy the Southmead Centre. As a charity which provides care to young people with complex needs, I hope you understand that the Council needed to prioritise the safeguarding of the individuals who have been using the building. We simply do not have the necessary level of funding available to upgrade the building.
With regard to the request to provide Moving Senses with “suitable alternative” accommodation, the Council does not have a legal duty to do provide alternative premises. Despite this, we have always wished to help Moving Senses, and that is why our Stronger Communities service has attempted to support the organisation to find alternative premises. I have spoken to that service and they have confirmed that the following accommodation has been explored for/with you:-
- Court Hey Park – This space is no longer available and has been transferred to another organisation following a competitive process;
- King George V, Huyton – Moving Senses viewed this building but did not explore the opportunity further due to the need to share it with another organisation. I understand that you did not want to hire a space if you were required to clear that space at the end of each session and also had concerns regarding the outside space. If you are now prepared to explore this option further, and would be prepared to clear the space at the end of each session, the Council is willing to facilitate further discussions with the leaseholder with a view to resolving any concerns regarding the outside space;
- Huyton Resource Centre – This building was an office space determined to be at end of usable life. It was deemed not suitable for transfer to a third party or for a community asset transfer due to the scale of investment which would be required to bring it back into use. The Council is prepared to re-visit the position in respect of this asset, but would require assurance and evidence that Moving Senses has access to the funding which would be required to bring the building back into use and pay for the ongoing maintenance/discharge of legal responsibilities required of a leaseholder. If Moving Senses are able to confirm that they have access to £1million of available funding (recognising that at the point of the last survey over £0.6million of investment was required and that is likely to have increased significantly), and can provide a suitable business plan demonstrating financial sustainability, by 5 August 2024 then the Council will arrange and pay for an up to date Condition Survey of Huyton Resource Centre to determine whether this building, with such a level of investment, might be suitable for transfer. I want to emphasise here that we recognise the urgency of your situation and do not want to waste time on a Condition Survey if you do not have access to the significant funding which would be necessary to occupy that building (and without you recognising the time and work that would be required to bring this building back into use). I should also point out that any Condition Survey could identify challenges in excess of £1million in respect of this building that would need to be fully met before an asset transfer could be considered;
- Northwood Allotments – Moving Senses viewed this option on 1 February 2024 but ruled it out because it was considered to be too expensive and would take time to develop. Moving Senses advised that they would prefer to be located in Huyton;
- Land at River Alt – This land was designated as parkland and therefore was not available for any development;
- Land near Alt Bridge School – This land was designated as school land. Alt Bridge School confirmed that they had no desire to build on the land and currently use it as part of the School’s playing field provision;
- Land on the former Birchfield Road Social Club in Widnes – You were made aware of this opportunity and were advised to contact Halton Council’s Planning Service if you wished to pursue it further. We are unaware of any further steps taken by Moving Senses in this respect;
- Holy Angels Catholic Club, Kirkby – Moving Senses advised that this option had previously been considered and rejected as too expensive;
- Knowsley Council-owned shops at Kennelwood Avenue (Kirkby) and Quarry Green (Kirkby) – Moving Senses were provided with photographs of these options, but, as there was no outside space for play, Moving Senses did not consider these options to be suitable;
- St Mary’s Parish Centre (Kennelwood Avenue, Kirkby) – Moving Senses advised that conversion of this building (from a social club) would be too expensive;
- Former Training Centre opposite Whiston Town Hall – This land had already been sold by the previous owner when the Council made enquiries on behalf of Moving Senses;
- Land at Endmoor Road/Cartmel Road (Huyton) – The Council’s enquiries confirmed that this site was not suitable as development land;
- King George V, Prescot – This land is currently leased to Prescot Town Council and is the site of a football club (which uses containers as accommodation). The option of developing or seeking to acquire the site was not progressed any further following previous discussions with Moving Senses;
- St Chad’s Parade Shops (Kirkby) – These Council-owned commercial properties in Kirkby Town Centre were not considered suitable by Moving Senses as they do not have an outside area and related parking facilities are outside of the immediate surroundings; and,
- Nursery on Hough Green Road, Widnes – Moving Senses previously advised of an intention to explore this option. The Council is unaware of any outcome in that respect.
As shown above, the Stronger Communities service has engaged in significant efforts to identify potential alternative sites for Moving Senses. However, Moving Senses has not considered that any of those options is either appropriate or affordable. Knowsley Council has no alternative accommodation which is available for immediate use.
I understand from Stronger Communities that Moving Senses did contact them last week and asked for this list to be shared again so that it could be reconsidered. Stronger Communities further advised that they have also made Moving Senses aware that Liverpool City Council were considering a number of their own buildings for community asset opportunities, and they may want to engage with them if community asset transfers remained the charity’s preferred approach.
To conclude, the Council is willing to revisit the position in relation to Huyton Resource Centre if Moving Senses is able to demonstrate clearly that there is sufficient funding available to progress that option. We also believe that a solution could possibly be achieved in respect of King George V in Huyton and encourage you to consider that option again. Unfortunately, given the condition of the Southmead Centre, we are now at the position whereby the Council cannot permit Moving Senses to remain in occupation after 31 August 2024. This decision is based solely upon the condition of the building and the priority need of ensuring the safety of all building users. I understand that you are meeting separately with colleagues from Children’s Services about your SEND offer.
If you now wish to revisit either the King George V or Huyton Resource Centre options in the ways set out above, please let me know and I will arrange for the appropriate officers to support such discussions.
Finally, in view of the fact that this petition was shared publicly, I intend to publish the text from this email on the Council’s Knowsley News Website so that it is accessible to any person who may have signed the petition as I do not have their individual contact information.
Regards,
Jemma Jones
Assistant Executive Director (Governance and Assets)