MAKE GOSPORT GREAT AGAIN A great Gosport needs a great council

A great council protects its heritage

A Community Future for the Criterion

Community-owned. Self-sustaining. Not a drain on taxpayers.

THE PROBLEM

The Criterion has sat empty since 2020. The council spent £600k to buy it and over £900k since — including £263k on consultancy. The council’s own officers warn it will make losses. The plan is now a 50-seat café, not the 250-seat venue promised.

LABOUR’S VISION

Labour will transfer the Criterion to an independent Community Interest Company with a permanent asset lock. Around £500k for renovation raised from heritage and regeneration grants, not council revenue. A dedicated body can access funding the council cannot.

WHAT LABOUR WILL FIGHT FOR

Transfer to a Community Interest Company with a permanent asset lock
Raise renovation funding through heritage grants — not council tax
End the drain on council officer time and political attention
Community board in charge — accountable to Gosport, not party politics
Self-sustaining community hub: events, groups, training, café space
Protect the building while freeing the council for core services

£ Cost & Funding:

CIC formation: minimal legal costs. Renovation: ~£500k from heritage grants. Ongoing: self-sustaining through events, food concessions and grant income. Council subsidy: zero.

Fiscal Responsibility:

Over £900k spent with the project at early stage. Officers say the venue will lose money. A CIC transfer ends this drain and frees the council to focus on the £3.3m structural deficit.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR GOSPORT

A heritage building saved, a community asset protected, and a council freed to focus on the services residents depend on.