Some 45 signatories from individuals and groups are backing a letter calling on candidates standing for election to the county council to reverse a decision to sell off thje headquarters building of Pie Factory Music.
Among those to sign the letter from the Thanet Youth Network are Arts Education Exchange,
Cliffsend Youth Club, Margate Pride, Margate Bookie, Turner Contemporary, Newington Chill Club, Discovery Planet and STAK.life CIC.
Last September, The Isle of Thanet News revealed that the youth charity discovered KCC’s plan to ‘dispose’ of the Ramsgate Youth Centre, which has been Pie’s headquarters since 2013.
A notice of intention to sell the building in St Lawrence High Street, which was listed as an asset of community value in 2022, was received by Thanet council.
The disposal is part of KCC’s efforts to balance its budget by delivering £108.8m savings over the next two years.
It has been put on hold until after the May 1 elections but the Thanet Youth Network is appealing for a complete u-turn by whoever gains seats in the polls.
As members of the Thanet Youth Network – a community of support of over 90 practitioners working with children and young people across the district of Thanet – we call on councillors in Thanet standing for election and re-election in this year’s Kent County Council (KCC) election to pledge to reverse the decision to dispose of Ramsgate Youth Centre should they be elected.
The letter says young people need safe spaces and the sale would “dispose of the last remaining dedicated youth centre in our district.”
The letter adds: “After the Family Hubs transformation decimated universal provision for young people in Kent, we believe strongly that we should be supporting our fellow non-profit organisations who remain determined to continue delivering such vital services for young people against the odds – not taking their remaining resources away from them.
“Pie Factory Music’s provision based at Ramsgate Youth Centre currently engages over 100 young people from across the district and beyond each week, many of whom are not in mainstream education, are refugees or asylum-seekers, neurodivergent, young carers, struggling with their gender identity or mental health and wellbeing, or just want a safe space to hang out with their friends.
“The loss of this vital resource will act as further confirmation to young people that the state does not care about them, or see value in investing in them – we believe the opposite: that young people deserve better.”
The network says a lack of youth provision results in grooming, crime, social isolation and anti-social behaviour, all meaning extra finances are needed to deal with those issues,
The letter ends: “We, the undersigned members of the Thanet Youth Network, demand that the new administration at Kent County Council call for an urgent review of the decision to dispose of Ramsgate Youth Centre, safeguarding this vital community asset for generations of young people to come.”
Others who have signed the appeal are Aim4 Partnerships CIC, The Zone Youth Club, Quench Gallery, Inspiration Creative CIC, See Me Play, Great British Carnival, Neurodivergent Friends in Thanet, Paddle Media, Oasis Domestic Abuse Service, Co-relate Communication CIC , Marine Studios, This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete! Project 200 at St George’s Church and a number of individuals.
In March 2024 Kent County Council ended its subsidies for youth clubs and activities commissioned by the council but run by outside organisations. The decision was made to save the county council around £900,000.
It meant a loss of 45% of Pie Factory’s income which resulted in Pie having to cease its youth service in Dover, after seven years of providing activities for that district’s young people.
Pie Factory has launched an appeal to raise some £500,000 to buy its Ramsgate building and carry out major maintenance works.
Visit www.piefactorymusic.com/save-our-youth-centre for full details.
I’ve tabled a motion to Ramsgate Town Counci To consider a motion requesting that the Council write to the newly elected Kent County Council administration, following the KCC elections, to urge a reconsideration of the decision to dispose of the
Ramsgate Youth Centre. KCC had previously agreed to delay placing the
Ramsgate Youth Centre on the commercial auction market until after the
election. Hope fully the Ramsgate Town Council will be able to make a decision at next weeks Annual Council
why do these people always come up with stupid names = pie factory ? it has never been one or is it ever likely to be one , is it a stab at sounding arty or just plain nonsense
From their website:
About Pie Factory Margate
Over a hundred years ago you would have found a pork butchers in Broad Street. Originally known as Knightons it became Scotts and there were shops throughout Thanet. The firm was particularly known for their pork pies, smoked sausages and flead cake. The business closed in 1974 and the building became a book warehouse. This lasted until 1998 and since then the site has been waiting to come alive.
an interesting article mr checksfield , but i was asking why the one in st laurence high street ramsgate , has said name ? if i am correct i think the site was once ramsgate councils greenhouses , or very near to it , perhaps the gardeners took a pork pie to work , or even worse told them .
Yawn
Yawn.
…currently engages over 100 young people a week????
That’s 14.5 people a day. Divide the total funding by 14.5 and find out how much we are paying to teach these kids to ‘play records’
Close it down, stop wasting taxpayers cash!
Agreed. Reinstate axed bus services (such as Ramsgate to Canterbury) instead!
Wow, what a disgraceful bunch of Reform voters on this site. Apart of course the dinosaur Checksfield who would prefer a bus service to youth services. Sad but inevitable with the nonsense being fed to the nuckle draggers that regularly appear here. Surprised they haven’t blamed the small boats people, that’s Reforms go to solution.@
I think most people would prefer better buses than paying for something that attracts 14 people per day.
Oh, and I’m voting Green.
Same old dullards whining! They’ll clutch their pearls at seeing anyone under the age of 30 on a street but also demand a service be closed down just because it doesn’t solely cater to their interests! Or they don’t like the name.
Don’t tell us – convince your new Reform KCC cllr.