Zeenat Sabur

OUTRAGED community members expressed their disgust that the Highfields Centre’s 13-year campaign for independence from Leicester City Council is yet to succeed and vowed to ‘fight tooth and nail’ until it is.

Workers and users of the Highfields Centre, as well as councillors representing the area, gathered at the centre on Thursday to discuss the long-standing issue of ‘community governance’- giving the centre freedom to control it’s own finances and activities.

Abdul Osman, head of the Highfields Community Association, said: “It is annoying to see this centre has still not been transferred over to the people.

“It has been 13 years since the bid was launched and we are still waiting. Now we have to stand up and say, enough is enough.”

Even though the centre first applied for independence in 1997, the council still has the final say over use of rooms and activities held at the centre, and unimpressed senior members feel they have seen too many false dawns.

Priya Thamotheram, head of the centre, said: “Repeatedly we have been assured that this matter will be resolved and we will get community governance.

“We have been discussing this with the council for a long time, but every time we agree on something they go away make changes.”

Community governance would enable the centre’s workers to make full use of the site facilities, which they are currently blocked from doing by the council, who prevent them from holding extra sessions by locking up rooms outside of the time they are used for of council-approved classes.

Members also felt their centre was being put on the back-burner while money and attention is lavished on other city landmarks.

Esmail Mohamed Joosab Esmail, member of Highfields Community Association and the man heading the bid for self-control, said: “The council has decreased our funds and refused us community governance while they have given plenty of funds to projects like the Curve and the Highcross.

“Others seem to get what they want so why not us? I want to build a future for my kids and will do everything possible to make sure the centre gets independence.”

Councillor Patrick Kitterick, who represents Castle ward, assured the people of Highfields he would do everything in his power and ‘find the least onerous way possible’ to hand over control, and users of the centre are hoping this happens sooner rather than later.

Saqib Dshmukh, who used the centre as a child, said: “I don’t want to wait another 13 years – I was a kid when the wheels for this were set in motion and the kids of today may be adults before it becomes a reality and this shouldn’t be the case.”

There will be another private meeting between council leaders and associates of the Highfields Centre on Thursday March 11in a bid to solve the burning issue of the centre’s future.

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