Councillors have handed over two buildings to volunteers.

Kirklees Council’s cabinet agreed to asset transfer Wooldale and Mirfield community centres to the groups that run them.

Both transfers have dragged on amid rows about the finer details of the deals.

The Mirfield transfer was agreed in October but a covenant blocking the use of the building for anything other than community use scuppered the group’s plans to sell it off and build new facilities.

Wooldale Community Centre, Robert Lane, Wooldale
Wooldale Community Centre, Robert Lane, Wooldale

But after a heated debate the cabinet refused to alter its original decision to impose the covenant despite a recommendation by the scrutiny panel that it could offer a covenant release clause.

Clr David Sheard said the Mirfield Community Trust could approach at a later date if it wanted to get out of the restriction.

But he said the council would not let them sell the building, thought to be worth £500,000, without guarantees of a replacement facility.

Mirfield Community Centre, Wateroyd Lane, Mirfield

The group has ambitions to build a new facility elsewhere in Mirfield. It will now have to find another way to finance the plan, which has been ongoing since 2002.

Clr Graham Turner said: “We’re never going to give you a building that you can sell.

“We certainly won’t be letting you take the asset and trouser the money, in effect asset strip our assets.”

The hand-over of Wooldale Community Centre was first mooted in April last year.

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More than 18 months on and the cabinet agreed to hand over the keys but also included a covenant to restrict the use of the building.

The covenant restricts the rear of Robert Lane premises to use as a pre-school or nursery – allowing the existing Kirkroyds Pre-School to continue.

The main part of the building is restricted to community use, preventing the building being sold for housing.