A “treasured” Aberdeen community centre has been forced to close after its voluntary trustees quit amid a feud with council chiefs.
Powis Community Centre is in the midst of a £500,000 revamp, which began a year ago.
But the doors of the B-listed community facility have now shut, after trustees Ann Pirie, Rev Denise Cowie and Lynn Adam resigned.
It is understood the three have become frustrated at the length of time it is taking to refurbish the venue, and the council “constantly changing the goal posts”.
Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart has now written to council chief executive Angela Scott calling for an investigation into winning back the volunteers.
He wrote: “I am of the understanding that the voluntary directors are resigning due to the length of time it has taken to refurbish the facility and because of the constant changing of the goal posts as to what proportion of the centre will be under council control. In my opinion the council has not acted well in dealing with this situation.
“I would urge you to investigate this immediately and do all that you can to regain the trust of the volunteers who have done an amazing job at this vital centre.”
But infrastructure convener Neil Cooney said the council was working to secure a new team to take the reigns.
He said: “We are disappointed but respect the decision of the current management board to resign its position. They have provided an invaluable service over the years. This is a very important facility in the area and we are actively seeking to put in place a new team as soon as possible.
“This community centre is a much treasured resource for the area and Aberdeen City Council has demonstrated our full commitment to the role it plays, especially in supporting young people, by making a substantial investment to the tune of almost half a million pounds.
“We are confident the redeveloped community centre will be available to the public very soon.”
