Hamilton: ‘I do support community centre’

Alison Wallace, manager at the Community Centre, said that while the money was ‘very welcome’, it did not alleviate the problem of operating costs for future years: “Before we received the additional funding from Derry City Council we were facing closure. The way in which it was granted to us, bypassing the development committee, means we have been granted a breather for now, but the issue of disparity in funding between urban and rural community groups is one that really needs to be settled once and for all.

“The issue was raised as a matter of priority by the DUP bloc and everyone in Newbuildings is indebted and relieved for getting funding. This is not a new issue, we have been in talks with the DCC for a long period of time, a number of years in fact, on this same issue. There are no DCC-owned community centres in rural areas so it is up to the communities themselves to operate and fund any community services and activities. We just want the Council to redress the disparity between urban and rural funding.

“This money guarantees the security of the centre for the coming year but the problem has not gone away, and in the coming year we are going to try and join forces with Claudy and other rural areas to ensure that we get our fair slice of the cake when it comes to funding community services. We have been trying to sort this since we opened 10 years ago and Claudy has been opened for 10 years as well, so it is not new for them either,” she said.

Offering support, Alderman Maurice Devenney, said: “I want to voice my support fo the funding that is going to our two local rural community associations. This funding was vital especially at this time. One of them was looking at closure. This was the last thing we needed. These community associations provide a service daily and nightly to the people living in these areas. I was a little bit disappointed that Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists spoke out against the funding, which was £10,000 each. I want to make it clear to those parties just how important the funding was for these centres. The Ulster Unionists left just before the vote was finalised. If this had of been down to a fine vote, what would have happened?

“Last week the UUP held a surgery in Newbuildings for information purposes to help the community. Yet the week after this they spoke against vital funding for Newbuildings and Claudy. You have to ask where their loyalties lie.”