A Buckie improvement plan to transform an empty bank into a community hub could be at risk of stalling.
The current Hub offers help for vulnerable adults and families in Buckie.
It is run by volunteers and based in a former ice cream shop on East Church Street.
There are plans to expand into a new hub, with one option looking at turning the nearby ex-Bank of Scotland into a “multi-purpose community hub”.
However, local groups in Buckie have raised their frustrations with a lack of funding and ability to progress the plans.
What is the plan for Buckie’s new hub?
The Hub in Buckie has been in operation for a number of years and is now a familiar sight in the town.
However, it has been a long term ambition to expand the service into a community centre offering a number of other services.
Community groups have indicated several sites around Buckie could be used but one is the nearby ex-Bank of Scotland building.
This is being led by a local monitoring group made up of local volunteers from a number of different organisations.
The main two organisations responsible for the Hub is the Buckie Area Forum (BAF) and the Findochty and Buckie Development Trust (FABDT).
So far, funding has been secured to bring in a consultant who will investigate the case for a new Hub in Buckie.
What is the frustration?
In an update presented to Moray Council’s community planning board, officers warned progress on the plans could be at risk in the future.
They stated the “sense of frustration” among the volunteers that funding has been allocated to a similar Elgin project and not Buckie.
The Link in New Elgin opened late last year.
As a result, officers believe any “frustration” stemming from this could lead to volunteers leaving the project.
The result of this would mean current services including outreach support, food parcels and information sessions could be at risk.
Need for local hub ‘proven’ by current success
FABDT Chair and Hub volunteer Susan Chalmers spoke to some of these frustrations.
She said: “The need for some kind of community centre, like a hub, has been proven and that’s what we would like to progress.
“The frustration lies in that progressing it is proving very challenging.”
Getting the money and the finances behind a project such as the new hub in Buckie is a “big challenge”.
“The difficulty is that there’s money available in certain places for certain things.”
She added that funding in places like Elgin can be easier to get a hold of, meaning projects like Buckie’s hub have to work harder.
When asked how she felt about the Link in Elgin getting funding instead of the Buckie Hub, she said: “The difficulty is that there is money available in certain places for certain things because of where the funding comes from and for certain activities because of where the funding comes from.”
“It’s the fact we’ve been beavering away trying very hard as community volunteers to progress things and yet if you happen to be lucky to be in a particular place where funding is more accessible then it’s easier for something to happen.”
Local groups want to work more closely on Hub and beyond
There are several more interested parties listed in the council report as being involved in the project.
One of which is Buckie and District community council, who have since said they have no involvement in the Hub.
Chairman of the community council Peter West said:Â “As much as we would like to be more involved, at this point in time we are not.”
He added there are a number of local groups in Buckie he is keen to see work more closely together.
This would benefit not just the Hub project, but many other community initiatives in Buckie.
Council documents state there will be future attempts to “bring community stakeholders together.”
It is hoped the latest plans for the new Hub will continue to move forward this year.
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