Act Now to save Arc community services from the Demands of Luton Borough Council

Dear Luton Borough Council

We the members of Ashcroft & Ramridge Tennants and Residents would like you to look at this petition. 

We understand a rent increase is needed due to funding cuts.

We have 2 nurserys both on school sites and both times Luton council ask us to put a plan in place to run these, as these were needed in the area. One of the nurserys was a neighbourhood nursery this was a govement project for low cost childcare and was to be kept for 25 years we worked in partership with the council and was successful in 2003 a new nursery was built it was ofsted rated outstanding and we have kept it outstanding. If the rent was to double from £9,000 to £18,000 in one year we would go out of business as it is low cost childcare but good quality. The other nursery is on Ashcroft school site and the council also approched us as this was a building schools for future project that needed community involvment and we were the community that was part of this, so the community building that sits in the front of the school was offered to us to run a nursery for 2 and 3 year old funded children and the council needs to offer this as part of the goverment requirments. We have been running this for last 3 years and pay luton borough council £12,988. per year then on the 4th April 2017 we were told the council had handed the rooms back to the school. No one told us as the communty group until the 4th April  when a email was sent to say the school now have the rooms back and the council have adviced them to charge us £24,500 per year starting from the first of April 2017.

We offer a service that helps reduce the pressure on some of luton councils services.

The shops in yeovil road were derelict as a community group we raised the money to make them fit for purpose and now you want us to pay market rent. What about all the improvments we have done to make them fit to rent out.

The increase is far to much we know of other organisations that also work with the council being offered either No rent for 8 years or a four year deal of 25% first year and 50%,75%,100% over four years. We were never offered anything we were told pay the amount we are asking or just hand them back to council or use them part time at odd hours which does not benefit our community. We held a community meeting and over 80 people attended in support we have a been outdoor knocking and over 500 people say are project is needed and what is happening to our community they are also saying luton already has a bad name why would the council be doing this to such a important project within luton.

Please reconsider these very high rent increases