On Monday 17th February the Labour government confirmed which projects are going to be funded through the Levelling Up Funding stream. Unfortunately the remaining funding required for Comer Gardens Hall was not included in this funding, which is very sad news indeed for the hall.
As soon as the funding announcement was made Councillor Alex Kinnersley (St Clement ward) emailed the City Council to ask what alternative funding avenues are now being pursued, as the City Council had previously indicated that should Levelling Up not be available, alternative funding streams would be sought to plug the funding gap. Worcester City Council, who have already committed £140,000 for the hall renovation work, have confirmed that they are looking at an alternative funding stream, however this will need to go to committee and be considered against other projects also in need of funding. So whilst this is hopeful, it is not a guarantee of success.
Alex Kinnersley says “the Comer Hall renovation work is an excellent project that will really benefit the local community. Tor and I are really hopeful that the new funding will come through via the City Council. However there is also external funding available for these sorts of projects, and we have offered to help the Comer Gardens Hall Management Committee develop applications for external funding, as a backup, just in case the new options for funding via the city council are again un-successful. We will of course be strongly supporting this project within the City Council and hope to see the remaining funding forthcoming as soon as possible so that work can start on the building”.
A recent St Clement newsletter article talking about the project led to a local resident contacting their local councillors to share her memories of living in the flat at the hall in the 1960s, demonstrating just how embedded this building is within the local community.