Scouts Facing Eviction

I read this article in my local newspaper tonight –

SCOUTS wants to lease land where they can set up a new base after a church council kicked them out of the headquarters they have used for decades.

The 21st West Stafford Scout Group has asked Stafford Borough Council to lease them a patch of land in Western Downs in Stafford.

Pack leaders warn the group may have to fold if the request is refused.

A report to tomorrow’s borough council cabinet meeting says: "The scout group has been at its headquarters building at Lovelace Close, Highfields, for more than 40 years and the premises has been leased from the Castle Church Parochial Church Council. The group has now been given notice that they will need to vacate the site imminently."

The scout group has a membership of more than 100 children.

If the borough council approves its request, the group will seek funding to build a new scout hut at the site.

Now apart from the fact that the newspaper has managed to mangle the story as usual (talking about the Group and Pack as if they are the same), this does raise something quite worrying.

I have tried to see if there is any more information about this story ‘out there’ but can only find a Facebook page the Group has set up which mentions applying for planning permission for a new HQ, but this was last updated in May. And of course, there is no mention of a reason why the Church are evicting the Group. However, it does seem to somewhat go against the Church’s (and I mean the Church as an organisation not this specific Church) general ethos of helping young people. From the Church of England’s website

The Church’s concern is not only for young people within it but also those in the wider community.

There is a strong commitment to support and advise those who work with young people regionally, in dioceses, and locally, in deaneries and parishes.

So it does seem rather odd that this Church is trying to get rid of what seems to a successful Group.

However, this is by no means an unusual situation. A Group in my District had their own HQ on a site rented from the local Council. However,  a new village hall is to be built on the site and the Group were evicted from their HQ and now have to meet in the local school. They will be able to use the village hall when it is built, but only at the specific times given to Group’s meeting. They also now have the problem of where to store all their equipment as they won’t be able to do so in the village hall.

I do hope the Stafford Scouts are able to get a new HQ and are not forced to close as that would be a tragedy and serious questions would have to be asked of the Church.