Community Centres

Camden Council has around 100 buildings let to Charities and community organisations. Around 25 of these are community centres which provide a safe, friendly environment where local people can meet and organise social events and community activities. 

Search for your nearest community centre

 

Not-for-profit organisations in some Council buildings can get a rent discount where they generate 'Social Value' for local residents. These changes were introduced in the 2023 Community Spaces: Rents and Leases Policy. This policy says which Council buildings are on the VCS property list and eligible. 

In these buildings a new lease will be offered to organisations who meet the eligibility criteria of the Social Value Framework. If the eligibility criteria is met they may get a discount of no less than 50% off  their rent.  Tenants will need to sign the Council's Service Level Agreement about the discount. The building must be well maintained and the organisation must be properly governed to qualify. 

A new lease will usually be required. The Heads of Terms sets out the standard conditions of the VCS lease. In addition to the discount there are other advantages to the VCS lease. The guidance has extra information about what these advantages are; such as having rent review by Retail Price Index (RPI) rather than open market, and removing break clauses to secure capital investment (in certain circumstances).   

The Council will contact eligible organisations about the new lease from 2024, and may be able to help with tenants' legal costs.

For further information about the Social Value Assessment or the Community Space - Rents and Leases Policy please contact Sam Rowe (Senior Community Partner - Assets and Projects). 

 

If you are responsible for a community building, you will need to make sure the premises is well maintained and safe for staff, visitors and the public. This includes undertaking essential statutory and non-statutory checks.

This isn't always very well understood by voluntary groups or their trustees. A guide has been written with this in mind. The guide includes what you may need to know about lifts, fire, electrical, asbestos, Legionella, gas, water and other forms of safety.

This guide may not cover all the specifics of your building, but it is a great introduction about thinking about buildings safety. There are significant consequences for charities for not following regulations, so it is important to get this right.   

Download your copy of: Property Guidance for VCS Buildings 

Remember: Always check your lease so you know your responsibility and ensure you stay up to date with changes to regulations as the information in this guide will go out of date.