Kildare work hubs should be made available for community meetings

Buildings used as work hubs across County Kildare should also make meeting rooms available to community groups - at no cost or a reduced rate.

Naas councillor Bill Clear wants Kildare County Council to ask the K-Hub Network to do this.

READ NEXT Kildare company fined €75k plus costs over death of worker

He said it would recognise that “these facilities have been partly funded through development levies.”

“A lot of people have nowhere to meet,” he said, adding that some community groups in Naas should be facilitated at the Merits building adjacent to Aras Chill Dara, if the library is not suitable, “even on a pilot basis.”

Cllr Seamie Moore said there is a huge number of community groups “that have nowhere to go but a pub.”

He said rooms should be made available as cheaply as possible and Cllr Chris Pender said every town and village in the county needs community space.

And Cllr Brian O’Loughlin said many voluntary groups have little cash flow.

Cllr Rob Power, a member of the Merits board, said the group does not want to compete with other venues such as hotels which also provide rooms for meetings. He said the use of hub premises could be affected by the closing times relating to the premises.

According to KCC, there are 15 premises in the K Hubs Networks but only five are under KCC’s control, including the Merits venue. Hubs are workspaces for remote workers and also the conduits for entrepreneurship, enterprise creation and innovation and a key instrument in enterprise and industrial policy.

KCC said that while no group has been refused free access, some venues don't suit as meeting rooms.

KCC also pointed out that these buildings have also received government funding and their primary purpose is “and must always be the conduit for job creation.”

KCC official Alan Dunney said there are costs associated with using the buildings for meetings, so this may not be practical.