Rural community halls play a key role in meeting the wide ranging social, cultural, and recreational needs of our communities. Community halls remain a vital part of the County's social fabric, yet in recent years many have experienced a range of issues that affect their sustainability.
Council's 2022-2026 Strategic Plan specifically identified "development of a Community Halls Strategy" as a priority project. This broad strategy would be used to help address the complex issues that affect sustainability & viability of community halls in the County of Barrhead.
Throughout 2022-23, the County of Barrhead engaged with rural community halls to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, & threats that they face, to help support their path towards viability and long-term sustainability.
The Strategy has become a fundamental guiding document for the County of Barrhead, and gives clear direction for Council's future decisions regarding community halls.
Stakeholder Engagement:
Stakeholder engagement was essential to the development of a Community Halls Strategy. Engagement with community hall members, volunteers, & operators prior to the development of a strategy provides the opportunity to share stakeholder concerns and recommendations regarding viability & sustainability of community halls.
Step 1. Engagement Session: Assessing the Situation
- Details: Held Oct 5, 2022, in-person at Glenreagh Hall
- Focus: Discussions surrounding a SWOT Analysis of community halls, short-term and long-term goals
- Purpose: Summary of Oct 5, 2022 engagement session
- Validation: Stakeholders able to review draft from Nov 1-14, 2022. 2 comments received.
- Council: Accepted by Council Dec 6, 2022
Step 3. Engagement Session: Forming Recommendations
- Details: Held Mar 16, 2023, in-person at Glenreagh Hall
- Focus: Identify recommendations for community halls and County of Barrhead to achieve sustainability goals
- Purpose: Summary of Mar 16, 2023 engagement session
- Validation: Stakeholders able to review draft from Apr 15-23, 2023. No comments received.
- Council: Accepted by Council May 16, 2023
Step 5. Council's Priorities
- Details: Council discussion during June 20, 2023 Committee of the Whole
- Focus: Identify priorities for County of Barrhead's recommendations & actions
- Results: Summary can be found on page 15 of Community Hall Strategy
- Council: Accepted by Council on July 4, 2023
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