THE threatened closure of Rayleigh’s Mill Hall is a very mean-hearted plan.

This highly-valued public facility was bequeathed to our community by the old Rayleigh Urban District Council in the 1970s.

It serves many community groups and often hosts professional performances, all of which bring in much needed income.

The Echo report states that the council’s private contractors who operate the building are in financial difficulties.

As much as I sympathise with Fusion Leisure I do not think their problems are a good reason to close a much-loved public facility in Rayleigh.

To leave one of our biggest public assets like Mill Hall closed, stopping community groups hiring the facility, is not a sound business plan.

The Conservative Group who run the council have been dazzled by their own expensive consultants’ plans to do away with Rayleigh facilities, building flats on the Mill Hall site and converting the Rayleigh Council Chamber into yet more flats.

The aim of all this fundraising is to build new council offices in Rochford.

How cynical is that?

STEVE TELLIS

Beech Avenue, Rayleigh

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