A SEVEN-point ultimatum has been given to West Witney Sports and Social Club about making safety improvements.

Witney Town Council – which owns the facility – said urgent changes were needed to meet concerns first raised in 2012 about health and safety.

Now it has given the club until the end of January to meet standards around issues such as asbestos, fire regulations, electrics and legionnaires’ disease.

Mayor Jeanette Baker said: “There’s no doubting the sincerity of how the club want to make it work.

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“I believe the councillors here really want to want to work closely together as much as we can and we need to just take it through with these resolutions.”

Club treasurer Rob Pratley said: “I’m really happy because they are agreeing to work with us.

“They are going to give us the chance to get the health and safety stuff done and they are going to look at a long-term solution.”

Mr Pratley said the council and Burford Road club were equally to blame for not ensuring health and regulations had been met over the last two years.

He said the club did not carry out work as members had been unsure of the future of the facility.

But town clerk Sharon Groth said the council had no plans to sell the site and was negotiating with club representatives about a long-term lease.

The club leases the site under an informal agreement and the only formal lease for the site is held by West Witney Bowls Club.

The issue was raised again earlier this month when a footballer reported getting an electric shock in the showers, as reported in the Oxford Mail last week.

Fire officers then ruled the club was not compliant because a spiral staircase fire escape leading from the upper floor needed repairs.

The club then closed its upstairs function room and showers and last week put together an action plan.

At a council meeting at Witney Town Hall on Monday councillors demanded the club immediately comply with health and safety legislation.

In May 2012 the Tory leader of the town council, David Harvey, lost his position after spearheading the push to sell the Burford Road site for a potential £7m.

An idea to sell the site for housing and use the cash for a new sports complex had been rumbling on for about 13 years by that point, it was reported at the time.

The new leadership, including new group leader Pete Dorward, then embarked on a bid to build bridges with campaigners who wanted to secure the club’s furture.

This resulted in a new policy for the council, which decided not to sell the site for housing after all.

 

THE DEMANDS

  • A section 146 notice to be drawn up setting out the health and safety issues the club must rectify by January 30, 2015
  • A full report to be made by the club outlining the steps it has taken to the rectify the issues by February 9
  • The council’s recreation committee to consider “long-term solutions” for the provision of a sports and social club or alternative facilities at the site
  • The recreation committee to discuss these solutions with the club 
  • A structural survey of the club to be carried out with costings needed for repairs
  • The issue of capacity of the club house to be investigated to ensure health and safety compliance
  • Full certification to be made available for all work done to rectify the issues

 

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