Sponsored by
Civic buildings ‘could be closed to save cash’
SAVINGS SCHEME ... Jarrow Town Hall is expendable, says Greenwell Jewitt of Forum 50.
A CRUSADING group for older people has suggested the closure of two of South Tyneside’s three main civic buildings.
Forum 50 has put forward a series of alternative ways for the cash-strapped local authority to make savings.
With £20m of cuts needed in the next financial year, it has suggested a 50 per cent reduction in councillors’ allowances.
Another cost-cutting measure is a reduction in the number of our elected members from 54 to 36.
Now the group is supporting perhaps its most controversial suggestion thus far - closure of both Jarrow Town Hall and Hebburn Civic Centre.
Greenwell Jewitt, chairman of Forum 50, believes that as a result of recent council job cuts the authority could operate with just one civic building.
He has suggested that Jarrow Town Hall, in Grange Road, and Hebburn Civic Centre, in Campbell Park Road, could be axed.
That would leave ‘grand and beautiful’ South Shields Town Hall in Westoe Road as the borough’s only civic building.
He said: “Being a small authority, do we really need three civic buildings at Hebburn, Jarrow and South Shields? We could make do with just one.
“With the recent jobs reduction and outsourcing of services there should be plenty of spare capacity to amalgamate all three into the town hall at South Shields, which is a grand and beautiful building.
“The council has to save £20m this year. Our proposals could save £2m each year without any hardship to the people of South Tyneside.
“Forum board members did submit these suggestions to a budget consultation meeting with a senior finance officer at the end of last week.
“The board feels that our councillors should be looking at themselves to set an example. We’ll have to wait to see if our councillors take notice.”
Forum 50 members are to meet next at Ocean Road Community Centre in South Shields on Wednesday, March 7, from 11am. Guest speaker is to be Rick O’Farrell, head of regeneration at South Tyneside Council.
The proposal was today dismissed by Hebburn councillor Eddie McAtominey, who described it as ‘nonsense’.
He added: “This is a clutching at straws exercise and is simply not credible. One third of people in this borough live in Jarrow and Hebburn and for them to travel to South Shields Town Hall to conduct their council business would simply not be cost-effective in terms of the transport and the time to get there. I’m perfectly willing to listen to constructive ideas, but this is simply nonsense.”
Housing offices where rents can be paid are based at the civic buildings in both Jarrow and Hebburn. Additionally, Jarrow houses a benefits advice service.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Transfer Rumours May 22: Newcastle United, Sunderland, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona, Wigan, QPR, West Ham and Blackpool
- Transfer Rumours May 12: Sunderland, Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool, Blackpool, Reading, Tottenham, West Brom
- Newcastle United weigh up bids for defensive duo
- Transfer Rumours update May 22: Sunderland, Newcastle United, Liverpool, West Ham United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and QPR.
- Transfer Rumours May 12: Sunderland, Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool, Blackpool, Reading
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Jarrow
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
Comments
There are 14 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
tynesider
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 05:41 AMI vote do away with south tyneside council altogether , with Gateshead bidding for city status & our borough as small as it is i think it would be easily arranged .Except for Boldons Cleadon & Whitburn could fall into Sunderland Authority ...
bewilderedonlooker
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 05:16 PMI'm guessing here, but I would have thaught the council owns Hebburn and Jarrow Town halls, closing them wont actualy save much money unless they can find someone to take them off their hands (with the state of the propert market that would be difficult). Its best to get out of rented buildings, I expect the council is trying to do this, but it takes time and a lot of legal work (looking at release clorses and fees).
San Diego
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 02:26 PMWhy not close Hebburn & Jarrow offices and turn them into pubs!!
wasthatthatguy
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:54 AMI agree with frankduke that there are probably various "branch offices" which could be closed and or incorporated in the main civic buildings. I also think that each of the three towns of South Tyneside should have it's own civic centre. As "slimmed-down" as possible of course.
wasthatthatguy
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:17 AMPending Moderation
commonsenz
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 08:42 AMHave to agree about Hebburn civic and the number of councillors but Jarrow Town Hall is a local treasure and needs to be kept. Forum 50 need to look at pay structure at corporate level to see where the savings are. And a meeting at 11.00 am on wednesday using one of the big earners as a speaker in a community centre? I can see savings there
red73
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:37 AMwhy not close south shields town hall, the buildings 4 tmes bigger so 4 times the savings
wedlloyd
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:57 PMYes they should close Jarrow and Hebburn Town Halls to save money in fact they should call Hebburn, Jarrow, Boldon, Whitburn {South Shields} not South Tyneside too many councils and cut down the councillors.
tyneman
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:17 PMPending Moderation
Heinrich Scrotwengler von Grossteschattenburg
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 07:17 PMfrankduke...You missed out the Leisure Centre in Westoe Road. The one with the ship on top.
frankduke
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 06:08 PMwhy close jarrow hebburn town halls why not close the new south tynside homes office or gordon street,charlotte tce,landreth house,horsley hill and the list of offices this council has goes on and on
Harry S
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 05:51 PMHaving read the daft comments from this person, I can ony feel he is getting more senile as he gets older. YES we do still require the three civic centres. Unless they close South Shields.
pithaspat
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 04:02 PMmost people pay there rent etc at paypoints now,,,its been years since a set foot in a council office , ,mmmmm.
HebburnHero
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 03:55 PMSo let's use logic here. If there's oposition to closing Jarrow & Hebburn Civic Centres is their not scope to combine them at one of the two sites, there's only a 2 mile difference between them door to door!!!
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.