Murieston Community Development Trust had a long-term plan for community asset transfer to ensure community facilities in Murieston thrived. However, they have not had any reassurance from West Lothian Council that road access to Murieston Village Hall is feasible to allow deliveries and disabled access. Their proposed plans are not viable without it. They will therefore not undertake any asset transfer until they can get further information. As West Lothian Council require a decision from all centres by January, the current role of the Trust will therefore be to support Murieston Initiative in trying to keep the hall open.
Murieston Initiative have organised a public meeting on 21st October at 7pm to discuss the future of Murieston Village Hall. The extent of public support will determine how they proceed.
The costs West Lothian Council propose handing over responsibility for are: approx. £22,000 of annual running costs, including £15,500 in electricity costs; and all remediation costs. A West Lothian Council commissioned survey identified approx. £200,000 of remediation needed by 2031. Unlike most other centres, Murieston Initiative is already responsible for cleaning costs.
West Lothian Council say that they cannot afford to let centres keep the income generated from lets any longer. As background, Murieston Initiative made a loss of between £1,500 and £5,500 in the 4 years prior to last year, primarily because West Lothian Council had given Simply Play a license to occupy the building free of charge. In the last year, attempts to standardise letting prices and start charging Simply Play have resulted in a surplus of £6,600.
Murieston Initiative have undertaken a 50-year financial forecast. As it stands, they would lose approximately £15,000 per annum on running costs alone. They have funds to cover approx. 3 years before they run out of money.
It is proposed that they take a 2-year lease to try to find a way to make it more viable. Rental prices will inevitably rise by 30-50%. Attempts to increase lets have already improved income. New since April are the weekly Saturday cafe, the monthly Sunday cinema, weekly Monday tai chi and pilates classes, and a lot more private parties and other one-off bookings. Murieston Initiative recently held 2 robotics workshops for children to gauge interest. They were very popular, so attempts are being made to organise a weekly robotics club. However, Simply Play pulled out of all holiday lets after Murieston Initiative started charging, reducing forecast income and leaving the hall virtually unused mid-week during the holidays.
The Glasgow Room currently has 84% occupancy and the Edinburgh Room 54%. Attempts are currently being made to make the Edinburgh Room more attractive for further lets.
Remediation costs would have to be covered by grant applications. Martin Thompson of Business Gateway has stated that any body taking responsibility for a community building, no matter what its size, needs to get at least £50,000 of external funding per year. In an environment where so many organisations are chasing the same money, it will require a lot of fundraising effort to achieve that consistently.
Electricity costs are a big issue. Last year the West Lothian Council cost for electricity, including 5% VAT, was £15,500. A facilities management advisor from the Development Trust Association of Scotland told Murieston Initiative trustees that this is 3x the expected cost for a building of that size. Murieston Initiative have investigated the consumption. They now have full control of the heating and it is now better controlled. The hot water immersion heater is now on half the time it was previously. There has been no time to see the effect on Council bills. Murieston Initiative trustees have been advised by the Council that insulating the roof and replacing the inefficient lighting would reduce costs further, and a funding application has been prepared for this.
With only 2 rooms, there is little opportunity for community enterprise to improve income further.
Enabling the hall to be sustainable seems an almost impossible task. Taking a lease will be a real leap in the dark, expecting that it probably will not work. The only chance to make it work depends on many volunteers helping. The trustees will need a lot of help from the community if the hall is to survive beyond April 2028. Three volunteers have come forward recently but many more are needed to allow this proposal to work: lawyers, business leaders, planners, painters, joiners, plumbers, electricians, builders, gardeners, administrators, event organisers, and anyone willing to help occasionally with events and other volunteering.
Contact us if you think you can help. If we don’t get enough volunteers, the hall will probably close in April 2026.