Hume council will conduct an audit of all community halls and centres within the municipality to see how these services can be better utilised.
Councillor Sam Misho successfully forwarded the notice of motion at the August 11 council meeting, in an effort to get the most out of Hume’s 47 community spaces and reduce social isolation within the community.
“A lot of these spaces, especially the unstaffed ones, are sitting underused, at a time when the cost of living is biting and social isolation is increasing,” he said.
“Particularly for our older residents, we have opportunities to make better use of what we already have.”
The lack of free space for the older community members was a big concern for Cr Misho, who he said some have come to him to say they have nowhere free, warm or welcoming to go to.
“Yes, there are cafes and shopping centres, but they can be expensive and not always inclusive,” he said. “Parks are great, but they depend on the weather and don’t suit everyone.
“We have buildings already paid for by our community. Let’s make them truly work for the community.”
As part of the motion, the council will audit each community hall and centre on the current activation hours and days of operation, facilities available at each site, whether walk-in access is available of if bookings are required, and whether the centres are staffed or unstaffed.
The audit will identify underutilised and unstaffed facilities that could be better activated and accessible to the community, explore the feasibility of supervised activation of currently unstaffed spaces, and will also investigate operational and financial considerations including staffing or volunteering.
Council officers will prepare a feasibility study for councillors.
A communications strategy will also be developed to promote the services on offer.
Councillor Carly Moore said the review was a significant piece of work.
“I think it’s really important that we’ve got a really detailed understanding of what facilities we do have, how they are currently used, and how we make sure we get the best outcomes for the community and use them in the best way that we can,” she said.
