The Petition of Residents of the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and others,

Declares the Petitioners’ serious concerns about the proposed disposal of 59 Godolphin Road, the registered premises of The Hut Association and several other local community organisations.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to use her powers to reverse the decision of Hammersmith and Fulham Council not to renew the lease of 59 Godolphin Road.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr. Andy Slaughter, Official Report, 5 July 2007; Vol. 462, c. 1165.] [P000043]

Observation from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government:

The Government understands and recognises the concerns of local residents in Hammersmith and Fulham about the closure and disposal of local community facilities. However, the Secretary of State does not have legal powers to intervene in local decisions about the disposal or closure of community assets.

That said, the Government’s policy is to encourage local authorities and their partners to take a more strategic approach to asset management, including consideration of more community management and ownership of assets, as set in the Quirk review “Making Assets Work” and the Government’s response to the Quirk review “Opening the transfer window”.

Background/local context

Hammersmith and Fulham reviewed the funding of community and voluntary sector organisations earlier this year in relation to needs/objectives and there were obviously winners and losers as a result of this process. H&F also reviewed the accommodation needs of CVS groups and, although a decision was taken by Cabinet earlier this year to dispose of the three properties in question (for very different reasons), we are informed that discussion is ongoing with the groups concerned in terms of accommodation need and possible relocation.