PEOPLE in Birstall have taken over a community centre which had been in danger of closing due to council cuts.

A new company called Birstall Community Holdings Ltd has taken on a six-month lease of Birstall Community Centre, on the ground floor of the library building in Market Street.

Ownership of the building is set to be transferred from Kirklees Council in October, if council bosses agree.

Ward councillors Andrew Palfreeman and Liz Smaje have joined local solicitor Ian Blamires as directors of the company and they plan to bring more community representatives onto the board.

Cllr Palfreeman (Con, Birstall and Birkenshaw) said: “We have consulted all the current users a number of times and assured them that their bookings and levels of rent are guaranteed for at least the next six months. Apart from a badly needed coat of paint, they will see no difference.”

The centre was built at the start of the 1960s and, at the time, included slipper baths for locals who lacked facilities in their homes. In 2015, Kirklees Council announced plans to close the centre but offered the opportunity for community groups to apply for an asset transfer.