For the past few weeks I have been working on numerous council issues and can now get back to updating on the blog.

After four years of hard work it is great that the community centre at Fram now has a long term future.

Back when Labour threatened to close the centre I was livid and started work on making sure that closure would not happen.

First of all I managed to get the car park fully resurfaced, with some drainage work thrown in for good measure. Then we put in funding to get new windows in the centre.

Since then your Lib Dem councillors have supported groups using the Centre and the announcement yesterday of the transfer of the Centre to the Committee frees up £37,000 towards improvements which has come from your three local Lib Dem councillors local councillors Nieghbourhood Budgets (Mamie, Amanda and I) and the AAP. This money will help to improve the inside of the building including finishing off windows.

The Council after a lot of discussions will now spend £200,000 on major repairs to the roof, brickwork and heating system so that the centre has a long term future and the building, an iconic structure on the Front Street is protected.

I am proud of having helped save the facility for the future and really impressed with all the members of the community association past and present who have done a sterling job too including Colin Hillary the Chairman.

In addition, after the initial attempts by the Labour-run Council to close the centre, the work of council staff cannot be underestimated, many of them going far beyond that expected to help get us to this point.

It was all this effort which proved to Labour that we were not going to lie down and see our community infrastructure destroyed by Labour politicians, and I believe this made the powers that be recognise that they had to help, not dismantle local community facilities in our area.

A bright future for Framwellgate Moor Community Centre starts now. Please call in to the centre to see what’s going on, join one of the various groups or get in touch to join the committee – all are welcome and going forward it will be the place to be seen in Framwellgate Moor as the next phase – Expansion, begins in the coming months and years. Hurrah!