Fresh hope for Bramley centre

A senior councillor has pledged support for a community’s last-ditch funding bid to save its youth centre.

Members of Rotherham Borough Council were in talks with Bramley parish councillors on Thursday about possibly tapping into a police cash pot.

The village’s Bill Chafer centre was among 11 listed for the chop when the budget plans were outlined six weeks ago.

But now Cllr Mahroof Hussain, Cabinet member for young people’s issues, has said that he is hopeful of a bid being lodged with South Yorkshire Police before the April 29 deadline.

And discussions with the Kimberworth community over the Chislett Youth Club are said to be at an “advanced stage.”

Cllr Hussain (pictured) said: “We are continuing to have very positive discussions with a range of groups about how we can work together to meet the needs of young people in our areas.

“Those efforts include our work with Bramley Parish Council and looking at sources of funding is one of the strands of that work.

“We are confident that they will be able to submit a bid to the police authority fund, a move we will support.”

The borough council’s budget plan involved cutting £400,000 from youth provision and replacing closed clubs with mobile centres.

It evoked a strong reaction in several communities and Cllr Hussain said this week that final decisions were still not fully clear.