THE STEPS leading to Westlands Community Hall have fallen into a dangerous state of disrepair and need fixing before someone gets seriously injured, according to campaigners.
Linda Hobson, who is responsible for the hall, and Coun Jan Bolton who represents the Westlands on Wychavon District Council, spoke to The Standard this week in a bid to get something done.
They claim, the situation has been going on for months and despite complaints from themselves and residents and promises from those responsible for its upkeep, no work had yet been carried out.
Costcutter in Droitwich owns the centre and is responsible for the maintenance but the hall itself is self-funding and is run by a non-profit organisation.
The Westlands Community Hall is used by a number of groups throughout the week, including after school clubs, mum and baby exercising sessions, belly-dancing classes, Zumba, box fit, bingo, judo and more.
The hall is also used for family parties and special occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries and wedding receptions.
Mrs Hobson said: “We are not criticising Costcutter but this has been going on for about three or four months now and something needs to be done.
“Going up and down the steps is like walking through rubble and because of the nature of the activities there, they are used by small children and elderly people who could easily fall.”
Coun Bolton, who sent an e-mail to Costcutter calling for work to be carried out, added: “I haven’t had a reply from Costcutter yet and I want to know what is going to be done as those steps are extremely dangerous.”
Ravinder Sohal, from the Costcutter, said they were aware of the issue and the steps would be repaired in the next couple of weeks.
He said the problems stemmed from youths vandalising the steps, adding they had been repaired before and deliberately broken again.
And he said what was really needed was CCTV coverage of the area to ensure the steps were not vandalised again.
There are CCTV cameras in the area but not specifically directed on to the steps.
Mrs Hobson said the hall was an asset to the community and worked really well although it could do with more funding.
She asked anyone who could help financially with the scheme to get in touch with Mrs Hobson on 01905 827344 or Ms Bolton on 01905 772397.
