FILEY councillors made a last-ditch bid to save the manager's job at the Evron Centre as Scarborough Council approved its budget for the next financial year.
The financial strategy imposed cost-saving cuts across the board – including merging the full-time manager’s role with that of managing the Falgrave Community Centre in Scarborough.
Councillors heard that scrapping the merger would have meant Scar
borough Council’s element of the council tax going up by 2.25 per cent instead of two per cent.
Cllr Mike Cockerill argued that it was vital for Filey’s flagship business, community and entertainment centre to retain its own manager. He told last Friday’s meeting of the full council: “A flagship needs a captain, not just a team back at head office.”
Filey mayor Cllr Sam Cross agreed. He said: “We do need a manager at the Evron Centre and I would hope this item can be removed from the report.”
Cllr Colin Haddington added: “It would be a shame to lose the manager we’ve got there now. He’s been an asset to the centre.”
Falsgrave councillor Pat Marsberg argued that she felt a shared manager for the two centres could be made to work, if it was “done properly” and council leader Tom Fox said that the structures at both centres would alter following the merger of the two jobs, adding: “I’m happy for this decision to be reviewed nine months down the road.”
A vote on an amendment to remove the planned job merger from the budget was supported by just the three Filey members, with three abstentions, including Hertford ward councillor Nick Harvey.
Scarborough Council’s head of tourism and culture services, Brian Bennett, insisted that adjustments to staff structures, systems and procedures would ensure that service levels and operating hours would be maintained.
However, many people in Filey, including town councillors, community groups, business tenants and Filey4Wards, were unconvinced and there have been calls for the Evron Centre to be “returned” to the control of Filey Town Council. The venue used to belong to Filey Urban District Council.
Town councillors had already objected to the first phase of Scarborough Council’s restructuring of its tourism and culture department, warning that creating more managerial positions based in Scarborough would inevitably cost front-line jobs and that Filey would suffer.
In all, the council is making 22 people redundant and several other Filey-based jobs are due to go, including toilet attendants for the facilities on the promenade where the council controversially doubled the admission charge to 40p in a bid to raise more revenue. The unpopular fee will now be scrapped.
