Founders of a charity that runs out of a café in Burgess Park, which allows 700 kids a year from disadvantaged backgrounds to play sports, say they could face closure if the council insists on asking for what they say is an ‘unaffordable’ lease for their premises.
Burgess Sports, a charity that runs free sports clubs throughout the year for underserved families, say they are at risk, after the council proposed a lease of £25,000 a year.
Since 2021 it has operated out of the Clubhouse Café in Burgess Park, with 100 per cent of the profits going towards providing activities and food for vulnerable local children.
“For the past two years, the Clubhouse Café has served the community, in creating a meeting place for them but crucially in funding the work of Burgess Sports to provide local children with a great start in life,” explained co-founder, Vernon Neve-Gashnunn.
Burgess Sports has not had a lease with the council. According to Vernon: “The building was leased to Burgess Park Tennis Club, who were responsible for maintaining the building and keeping the toilets open to the public.
“The tennis club allowed us to set up a café in the building. Rather than charging us rent, we paid them a percentage of any profits.”
But now they claim the council is wanting a re-signed lease – and is asking for £25,000 a year in their tender process.
“We submitted an application in February offering £10,000 in cash plus £20,000 of social value (worked out by the services they provide for the community).
“But they refused our offer and are asking instead for a £25,000 lease annually – which just isn’t financially possible.
“This would leave the café unable to produce enough funding for our charity and forced to move out of the borough.”
They are claiming the council never cared before about making a profit for themselves from this business. “There was nothing here before,” Vernon continued, “but after seeing the success we have made of it, council officers have decided to benefit from our work at the cost of the local community.”
He added that the loss of the café would not only have a financial impact on their charity, it will leave 13 people unemployed and locals without their favourite place to go.
After the News got in touch with the council Cllr Catherine Rose, the cabinet member for leisure, parks, streets and clean air said that they were now ‘pausing the matter’ and that the café will for the time being operate under their current agreement. She added that the council fully supports the work of Burgess Sports.
Cllr Rose said that current arrangements ‘started informally during the pandemic’ but that they must ‘put in place the long-term letting agreement for the tennis kiosk’. She added that the tendering process takes into account ‘social value’ as a ‘key part of our evaluation.’ But that due to a ‘confidentiality breach, the letting process has been compromised.’
The News has asked whether that means the council would re-consider Burgess Sports’ offer of £10,000 and how long the process will now be.
But the word is beginning to spread amongst residents, who, like Marjorie Palanee, are ‘devastated’ at the prospect of the cafe closing. Marjorie told the News the café was the reason she moved to Camberwell. “I moved to the UK ten years ago, and I have never found a community spirit like the one in Burgess Park,” she said.
“I visited the café when I was deciding where to live and it was the main reason I came to live here.”
She said it is nice to go somewhere knowing the funds all go to a good cause. “Hearing it might have to close is terrible. We are so devastated,” she added.
In a statement to the News Cllr Rose said: “The council fully supports a kiosk in Burgess Park, and Burgess Sports are providing a service, valued by the local community, this is fully acknowledged by the council.
“The current arrangement started informally during the pandemic and we are now required to put in place the long-term letting agreement for the tennis kiosk, by legally securing an operator for the kiosk and the public toilets. This must be done via a fair and transparent letting process. The social value of all those who tendered is included as a key part of our evaluation. We also ask for financial information to confirm that the rent for the kiosk, can be paid.
“This approach allowed for Burgess Sports and social enterprises of all types to have their wider community value fully taken into account rather than a purely commercial decision. The consideration of all these criteria was still underway last week and had not been concluded.”
“Unfortunately, due to a confidentiality breach, the letting process has been compromised. We have no choice but to pause matters until we’re certain that the process can be conducted in a way that’s fair for everyone and all the social enterprises involved”.
Among a range of other things, Burgess Sports runs free kids activities 12 weeks of the year, including after-school clubs and multi-sports holiday camps. They added that those who stand to suffer the most will be the 700 kids a year they serve.
The group have started a petition, which already has over 1,600 signatures. To access their petition click here.