Campaigners fighting a rent increase at a Sherwood community centre which would see its bill rising by tens of thousands say the uncertainty is making it harder to recover from covid. The Place Activity Centre has been used as a venue by community groups, local MPs and neighbourhood watch meetings since it started operating in 1997.
The centre has been paying a peppercorn rent of £10 a year to the building's owner, Nottingham City Council, since that time. But staff at the centre were informed in 2020 that its rent would be increased to a commercial level of £12,000, eventually going up to £20,000 within four years.
But a meeting was then held where Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said the centre could submit an application for reduced rent. But Councillor Mellen said the centre would have to prove it was delivering "quantifiable community benefits."
