Financial Boost for Victoria Hall Campaign

Nearly £25,000 raised in donations for legal battle ahead

Victoria Hall at night. Picture: Friends of Victoria Hall

A campaign to save a community hall built by donations from the Victorian public 132 years ago has raised £25,000.

In 2016 Ealing Council agreed to sell the old Town Hall, which Victoria Hall is part of, to be converted into a luxury hotel by property developer Mastcraft.

Campaign group Friends of Victoria Hall (FoVH) are appealing the Charity Commission’s decision to let Ealing Council sell the community hall.

The agreed fee for a 250 year lease of the Gothic revival style hall to Mastcraft is £2.5m, with a £250,000 annual rent.

Roger Green, 69, chair of FoVH, questioned whether the charity was getting a fair price and called the community use agreement with the planned hotel “a joke”.

Mr Green added, “It’s the only large hall in this very large borough that’s within easy reach, whether you live in Acton, Southall, Northolt or wherever you are.

“It’s a very large and flexible space that is at risk of being taken away from the people of Ealing after 130 years.

“Losing that is just not conscionable, it’s crazy.”

FoVH have now raised £25,000 of the £35,000 target, which will be used to pay law firm Bates and Wells to represent them at the Charity Tribunal later this year.

Mr Green continued, “It’s turning into a real shocking waste of council money, it’s already spent about £2m on this already, on moving people out of the town hall in anticipation of work starting in 2017.

“They stopped letting the halls out, they’ve been running it down for years – we would say.”

High-ceilinged Victoria Hall was built in 1888 as part of Ealing’s historic town hall building.

The campaigners say the council had no right to sell the hall in 2016 because it is owned by a charitable trust set up in 1893 to manage Victoria Hall “for the purpose of meetings, entertainments, balls, bazaars and other gatherings whether social or political”.

FoVH say Ealing Council, who have managed the hall as trustees ever since, initially ignored the fact that the hall was owned by a trust before they sold it.

The Charity Commission’s decision agreed that the council could sell the but only if the property realised can be applied for charitable purposes that are “more suitable and effective than the original purposes”.

It said “further thought” needs to be given to whether there was a conflict of interest between the charity and the council, how the rent would be used and safeguards for the hall’s future community use.

A Charities Commission spokesperson said, “This matter will now go to the Charity Tribunal for consideration.

“In order not to prejudice the outcome of the tribunal, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “Ealing Town Hall remains the civic heart of the borough. The deal that leases the town hall to Mastcraft secures the future of Victoria Hall as a community asset, available to the community at discounted rates.

“Following extensive dialogue between the Victoria Hall Trust and the Charity Commission, the Commission have confirmed their agreement to publish a Scheme which regularises the Victoria Hall Trust.

“The Scheme sets out the framework for the future operation of the Trust and includes provisions for the management of any conflict of interest.

“Full Council approved changes to the make-up of the Victoria Hall Trust which includes a third independent Trustee which has been appointed to join the two independent Trustees already appointed.

‘’An appeal to the First Tier Tribunal has been made against the decision of the Charity Commission to allow the proposals to proceed. The Charity Commission has submitted its defence to the Tribunal for their consideration.”

To view the Victoria Hall crowdfunder click here.

Josh Mellor - Local Democracy Reporter

August 3, 2021->