COMMUNITY facilities are being left to gather dust because groups cannot afford rental charges, it is claimed.

Rooms in libraries and buildings such as Chingford Assembly Hall are out of reach for many, according to volunteers who have called for hire costs to be lowered.

Oliver Shykles, chairman of the Highams Park Forum, said his group hoped to hire a room at Hale End Library in Castle Avenue, Highams Park, two weeks ago before they were put off by the charge.

The group was quoted £25 per hour for three meetings - a 50 per cent community group discount on the usual rate.

Mr Shykles said: "They were wanting us to pay a silly amount of money.

"The council is trying to turn the venues into cash cows but they just end up with unused resources because we cannot afford them."

The group had previously planned to use its normal meeting place at All Saints Church in Old Church Road, which charges between £8 and £15, but a disabled member had found it difficult to access.

Mr Shykles added: "It's frustrating because there's all this talk of the Big Society but the council isn't encouraging that.

"The church doesn't have computers, which Hale End does, and we'd benefit by using them, while the venue is ideal for disabled people to access."

Chingford 15th Scouts used to hire Chingford Assembly Hall in Station Road for fundraising events, but found they were struggling to break even due to rental rates.

The hall costs £696 to hire for eight hours between Monday and Thursday, or £87 per hour. Weekend costs rise to £217 per hour, or £1,736 for eight hours.

President Michael Freeman said their fundraising efforts, now held at their scout hall in Whitehall Gardens, suffer from a lack of passing trade, which they enjoyed at the Assembly Hall in busy Station Road.

"The charges wiped out any profit we made," he said. "But the venue itself is ideal, we would like to use it if only it was affordable."

Chingford Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society (CADOS) believes more people could attend their plays if they could afford to use the high-profile Assembly Hall.

The venue can accommodate 300 customers, compared to just 81 in CADOS's current venue, Mornington Hall, in The Green Walk.

Publicity manager Janet Norris said: "They have priced themselves out of the market and it means less people can experience local culture, like our plays.

"They could definitely encourage more people to come along if their rates were cheaper. This idea of the hall being a community resource - it just isn't at this price."

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