Staff 'preparing for the worst' as Sutton café lease battle continues

Rumbles Community Café, on Sutton Lawn, which provides work opportunities for local people with learning disabilities, has been operating daily to serve the Sutton community for 15 years.

However, staff were left “shell-shocked” back in September after being served notice by Ashfield Council to terminate their licence following a failed negotiation over the renewal of the building’s lease.

The café now faces closure if an agreement is not reached by the end of March.

The council maintains it is still open to negotiations and closing the café is not its intention.

Gina Dolan, a Rumbles staff member, said: “We’re absolutely in limbo with it all at the moment. It’s completely soul-destroying.

“We are under a lot of pressure with the new lease they want us to take on. They’re piling many things onto us that we never used to have to pay and the rent has gone up astronomically.

“There’s the alarm systems, the shutter systems, we’ve got to pay for the public toilets to be cleaned and replaced. We’re trying to figure out how much it’s all going to cost us and whether it’s possible.

“It’s quite frightening. We’re worried for all the staff, the beneficiaries and the community who are still supporting us.”

In attempts to save the popular non-profit eatery from closure, a petition has been launched – and has already attracted more than 4,400 signatures.

The café has also hired professional advisors to negotiate with the council in the hopes of keeping the community facility up and running.

“We’re just ordinary people trying to do something good, but they’re making it very difficult,” Gina said.

“We’re still fighting, but it is a really big worry that it’s all just too much to ask.

“At the moment, we’re hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.”

The café is unique to the area as it provides training for some of the most vulnerable members of society, teaching them essential life skills and confidence.

Gina said: “We’re not out to make money for ourselves and we give experience to people with disabilities or who are disadvantaged.

“The council used to give us a peppercorn rent for all the work we did in the community, but don’t seem to see it that way anymore.”

Lee Anderson, Conservative MP for Ashfield, said: “This café has been serving our community for 15 years and provides placements and essential workplace experience for people with learning disabilities.’

“If the council is serious about negotiating with the café then they need to compromise, meet with the directors of the café, and offer a fair deal.”

A council spokesman said: “The council’s legal advisors continue to negotiate with the professional advisors of the tenants of Rumbles Café regarding the renewal of their licence to occupy the premises.

“The council is keen to continue engagement with their professional advisors to try to reach an agreement.

“During the period of their current licence, the council has been significantly subsidising the café’s rent, maintenance and utility bills and we need to agree a more suitable and sustainable solution for a new agreement.

“As legal negotiations continue, we can confirm it is not our intention to close the café.”