FEARS have been raised about the future of community centres in Nottingham, as the city council tries to save money.
The fears were raised at a meeting organised by the Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service at their offices in Mansfield Road.
The event was designed to give people in the voluntary sector the chance to have their say.
And it led to a heated discussion as service leaders put their questions to Councillor Dave Liversidge, the city's portfolio holder for adults, housing and community sector.
Melanie Jeffs from the Nottingham Women's Centre, asked Mr Liversidge if there were plans to sell off any of the city council's community centres.
She said: "What is the council's strategy around funding community centres and if things get really tight, would you look to sell of some of those buildings?"
Mr Liversidge said it was unlikely the council would sell any of the buildings, as there was no profit to be made.
But he did single out the Queen's Walk Community Centre in The Meadows, which is on a prime site next to the new tram route to Clifton.
Mr Liversidge said: "There is only one community centre in the whole city where we could make money – in The Meadows, because it's next to the tram route, so it will be the most expensive to rent out.
"We've not made any decisions, but these decisions will have to be made."
Concerns were also raised over council and housing association homes.
Jo Mossman, from the Nottingham Disabled People's Movement and the Equality and Fairness Commission, asked what was being done to encourage developers to build more accessible homes.
"We are trying to persuade them," Mr Liversidge said. "But the issue is that most developers are not there to manage the properties afterwards. "They're just interested in making a profit on the buildings and the way they do it is to sell them for cheaper."
Yesterday's session was the first in a series of events arranged so councillors can hear about the voluntary sector and its priorities.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Nottingham's voluntary sector? Email newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk or call 0115 905 1967.