East Oxford Social Club Threatened With Immediate Termination
Andrew Luke | 25.02.2007 19:04 | Education | Free Spaces | Social Struggles | Oxford
A small minority of Council members have acted unethically to terminate the East Oxford Social Club sometime this week.
Following the discovery of a closed meeting by four trustees to revoke the bar license of the East Oxford Social Club on Wednesday , an email has been sent around by Val Johnson, Business Manager of Neighbourhood Renewal at St. Aldates Chambers.
"I note that the recommendation from East Area Parliament decided last night not to endorse the proposed exercise of the Financial and Asset Managers delegated authority, to terminate the license of occupation to the East Oxford Community Association.
After further discussion by officers it has been decided to proceed with this action and to issue a new temporary license of occupation to East Oxford Community Association . This means in effect that the Social Club will be closed before next week end.
We have received a number of significant allegations about potential criminal behaviour in the Social Club. This is what led to the Community Association to ask for our help in the first place."
The loss of the alcohol license will damage many organisations events and campaigns, impacting fundraising opportunities for the Fusion Arts Lab and the Oxford Activist Resource Centre, a grassroots information point and drop-in facility. The social club offers an inexpensive alternative to High Street pubs, allowing users who share a common underground mentality a like-minded meeting space. For over thirty years the Centre has been an integral heart of the community for a diverse range of over 700 members. The bar has been responsible for its own security and has recently hired doormen, and the local police have been complimentary about the Centre's ability to minimise trouble on Oxford's Cowley Road.
An emergency meeting has been called upstairs at the Oxford Action Resource Centre within the East Oxford Community Centre tomorrow (Monday) at 12pm noon.
This will be followed by one at 4pm in preparation for the full council meeting at Oxford Town Hall at 5pm.
There will be another meet at OARC 7:30pm, followed by one on Tueday at 6:30pm.
A petition to save the Social Club has been put online at
http://www.petitiononline.com/ox41hu25/petition.html
Contact email :
oarc@lists.riseup.net
Please register your support for the Centre and sign it.
"I note that the recommendation from East Area Parliament decided last night not to endorse the proposed exercise of the Financial and Asset Managers delegated authority, to terminate the license of occupation to the East Oxford Community Association.
After further discussion by officers it has been decided to proceed with this action and to issue a new temporary license of occupation to East Oxford Community Association . This means in effect that the Social Club will be closed before next week end.
We have received a number of significant allegations about potential criminal behaviour in the Social Club. This is what led to the Community Association to ask for our help in the first place."
The loss of the alcohol license will damage many organisations events and campaigns, impacting fundraising opportunities for the Fusion Arts Lab and the Oxford Activist Resource Centre, a grassroots information point and drop-in facility. The social club offers an inexpensive alternative to High Street pubs, allowing users who share a common underground mentality a like-minded meeting space. For over thirty years the Centre has been an integral heart of the community for a diverse range of over 700 members. The bar has been responsible for its own security and has recently hired doormen, and the local police have been complimentary about the Centre's ability to minimise trouble on Oxford's Cowley Road.
An emergency meeting has been called upstairs at the Oxford Action Resource Centre within the East Oxford Community Centre tomorrow (Monday) at 12pm noon.
This will be followed by one at 4pm in preparation for the full council meeting at Oxford Town Hall at 5pm.
There will be another meet at OARC 7:30pm, followed by one on Tueday at 6:30pm.
A petition to save the Social Club has been put online at
http://www.petitiononline.com/ox41hu25/petition.html Contact email :
oarc@lists.riseup.net Please register your support for the Centre and sign it.
Andrew Luke
e-mail:
drew.luke@gmail.com