Sussex MPs urged to back grants for village hall VAT bills
Currently groups and volunteers have to pay 20 per cent Value-Added Tax (VAT) on building work to upgrade or rebuild their community facilities.
David Robins, chairman of both Bolney’s Rawson Hall and Sussex Village Halls Advisory Group, has asked newly elected Sussex MPs to write to Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne asking him to introduce a grant scheme to refund VAT on building improvement projects for village halls and community buildings.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn his letter he said: “In the current financial climate when local authority community support budgets are reduced and under severe pressure this is holding up volunteer led projects that could deliver jobs as well as social benefit and wasting hard earned local fundraising efforts.”
MPs are also being urged to push for a national funding stream to contribute towards village hall advisors to be included in next month’s budget.
Mr Robins explained that Bolney’s new £1.2m village hall, which opened earlier this year, could not have been completed without the Action in Rural Sussex (AiRS) support service, which was ‘in jeopardy’ due to public spending cuts.
He added: “This service allows village halls to share their experiences with each other.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“Without this ‘one shop stop’ we would not have benefitted from the information sheets, legislative, constitutional and funding guidance that is available from the Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) Network, of which AiRS is a part.”
Both strands of the campaign are being backed by the National Village Halls Forum, which works on behalf of 10,000 community buildings in rural England.
Alan West, vice chairman of the forum and also chairman of Ringmer Village Hall, said their building project could not have got as far as it has without the help and experience from the ACRE Network village halls advisor provided by the AiRS.
He added: “Often the last remaining ‘community’ facilities are the village hall and church. Good facilities and active groups help maintain a vibrant, inclusive rural community.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMr West explained that it had taken years to fundraise for a small extension for Ringmer Village Hall and more than £40,000 will be ‘wasted’ on VAT that could be spent on better or more facilities.
What do you think? Have you had a similar problem with your village hall improvement project in Sussex? Comment below or email the newsdesk.
Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.
Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.
1) Make our website your homepage
2) Like our Facebook page
3) Follow us on Twitter
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.
And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!
Always the first with your local news.
Be part of it.