Parish Council tells Lambourn Junction to get out of Memorial Hall
9th June 2020
Award winning Lambourn Junction received a letter from the Lambourn Parish Council (LPC) asking the Junction to vacate the Memorial Hall by the 19th June so that the Parish LPC staff can resume working from their office. LPC intends prioritise the work on the backlog of outstanding accounts and other paperwork. It appears that having the Junction on the premises does not create a safe working environment for their employees. “There is no way to resume Parish Council office duties and maintain the Lambourn Junction activity in the hall.” The Lambourn Junction generally operates 2 hours a day and has no access the Council Office.
At a meeting with representatives of The Junction on Friday the 5th of June, Michael Billinge-Jones, Chair of LPC made it clear that the Council were determined to remove the Junction from the Memorial Hall. “It is a shame for the community that the Parish Council have taken such a harsh decision without entering into a constructive dialogue” said Helen Noll who attended the meeting together with Anna Field and Helen Reynolds. “We were so pleased and grateful when the LPC allowed us to use the hall and it came as shock when they suddenly removed this offer. When we met Councillor Billings-Jones and Councillor Nimms we tried to put forward compromises which they rejected out of hand.”
It appears that the LPC Councillors voted in a closed meeting on Wednesday to eject the Lambourn Junction from the Memorial Hall. A representative of the Junction was not invited to attend the meeting to present the details of the community work undertaken nor to discuss a possible solution.
“We were devastated by the news and have responded to the Lambourn Parish Council with a letter in which we kindly requested to be allowed to continue to serve the community from the Memorial Hall” said Anna Field, lead coordinator for The Lambourn Junction. “LPC have said that they will be in touch however, with only seven working days to go we have the well-being of residents in our focus and have to have a plan B.”
Lambourn has a big heart and The Royal British Legion Club has come forward offering their facilities to The Lambourn Junction. “We are so thankful to the Royal British Legion Club,” said Anna, “their positive, welcoming approach and community spirit brought tears to my eyes. We really thought the Lambourn Parish Council’s decision would be the end of our support to the 150 households in the Lambourn Valley who use the Lambourn Junction”.
A huge thank you also goes to all individuals, companies and organisations who have been most generous in their support. A particular mention and vote of thanks for the Spotlight FoodHub and West Berkshire Council Community Hub without whose assistance and support the Lambourn Junction would not be able to function. The outpouring of generosity and support from the community has been overwhelming.
The Lambourn Junction will remain open as usual this week and begin operating from The Royal British Legion from Monday the 15th June.
If you are struggling to make ends meet and require groceries and other supplies, please visit The Lambourn Junction or call the Volunteer Helpline on 01488 505050
Lambourn Junction Volunteer Team
