FAO:  Save Newby&Scalby Hall Steering Group, 

15 June 2026

Save Newby & Scalby Hall Steering Group (SNSHSG) response to Newby & Scalby Community Hall Trust Press Release of 9 June 2026

Key Points

• Controversial Sale & Discount: The Save Newby & Scalby Hall Steering Group is fiercely opposing the Trust's decision to sell the local community hall for £300,000—a steep 55% discount from its £675,000 Land Registry valuation just two years ago.

• Opaque Governance & Intervention: The Group considers the Trustees are running a completely hidden tender process and ignoring available local grants, prompting an urgent regulatory warning from the Charity Commission.

• Demands for Resignation: Citing a total loss of community trust, failed management of the surrounding grounds, and a contradiction of the charity's core purpose, the Steering Group is demanding the immediate resignation of the current Trustees.

Summary

The Save Newby & Scalby Hall Steering Group (SNSHSG) has strongly condemned the Newby and Scalby Community Hall Trust's decision to sell the local community hall for £300,000.

The Steering Group highlights that this price represents a 55% discount on the hall's 2024 Land Registry valuation of £675,000. They consider the Trust are using an opaque "informal tender" process, exaggerating fundraising failures, and ignoring available regional grants. Furthermore, the Charity Commission has intervened, warning the Trust that it requires formal authorization before disposing of the property.

Citing poor governance, broken promises regarding the surrounding land, and a severe "trust gap" with residents, the Steering Group argues the sale destroys the charity’s core purpose. We are demanding the immediate resignation of the current Trustees.

Story

SNSHSG strongly disputes the Newby and Scalby Community Hall Trust claim that they have ‘… stated they are pleased to announce the successful bid, following an informal tender, for the Community Hall building, securing the future of the Trust and creating new opportunities to support the local community.’

But the Community Hall Trust have not published the ‘informal tender’ process or contents, or stated who the original list of bidders were. We note the Wilson’s statement received lunchtime on 15 June.)  And they have not explained how selling off the Scalby and Newby Community Hall secures the future of the Community Hall for Scalby and Newby. They have not seemingly explained who the professional advisers were, or what they said. And they have not published any valuations that support an agreed-on sale price of £300,000, when the Land Registry notes a value of £675,000 in 2024, whilst the Land Registry only registered the title in December 2024, 18 months ago. This is a 55% discount from the of only 18 months ago.

SNSHSG note that this valuation was part of the Trust’s newly arrived Trustees claim to have been dealing with property registration matters at that time. How do Trustees explain the 55% reduction in valuation achieved under their management in only 18 months benefits the local community? 

We consider the Charity have been overly negative in their description of the Hall ‘Following a detailed review of the charity's position and after taking professional advice, the trustees concluded that selling the Hall building was the most responsible way to protect the charity's assets and ensure its long-term future.’.  Such a negative description when compared to the Wilsons later upbeat statements would naturally attract low offers as seems the case here. And we ask, if the Trustees were appointed to ensure the continuing protection, maintenance, and management of the Community Hall for the Community, then how would selling the Hall off achieve this aim for the Charity?

Then there is this claim to consider. ‘The trustees also explored fundraising opportunities (our highlighting), but community support was limited, with one appeal raising just £25. (Mark Whitelegge of SNSHSG has stated for this Press Release that no-one in the Community or the Village Hall Trust were aware of this.  It was completely unlike the highly successful experience of Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall).  This reinforced the challenge of funding the significant investment required to secure the Hall's future.’ 

But during the time of Trustee Richard Ian Thompson’s tenure and who is a Trustee of both charities, the North Yorkshire Mayor launched the Village Halls and Community Buildings Grant Programme 2024. 21 Community Halls received funding of between £18,000 and £50,000 for vital renovations in 2024. But despite wide advertising of the scheme given 21 Halls won significant awards, did the earlier Charity, Newby and Scalby Community Hall, apply for funding and get turned down, or did not apply and why? Or did they not look for the local fundraising opportunities that were clearly available?

We consider that if the Newby & Scalby Community Hall Trust succeed in selling the building at a 55% discount to the Land Registry valuation under these presently opaque circumstances, they have failed to secure the future of the Trust, as it was bound up in the protection and continuity of the Hall, the very object they were appointed to manage. We note that any Trust claims about ‘…the wider site remains in the ownership of the Trust’ are irrelevant to the claim (see below) as it is the Hall they were appointed to protect and manage.

Added to this, we have on file that on 11 May 2026 the Charity Commission had written urgently to the Trust to say ‘As part of this engagement, we have provided regulatory advice to the trustees regarding the need to obtain authorisation from the Charity Commission before proceeding with the disposal of the charity’s property. This advice has been given to ensure that the trustees act in accordance with their legal duties and the relevant provisions of charity law.’

We note the Newby & Scalby Community Hall Trust promises ‘that the wider site remains in the ownership of the Trust and will continue to be managed for community benefit.’ Given that the Green has become overgrown under their jurisdiction, car parking spaces were negotiated away as part of the sale terms to Wilsons (STC), we consider it self-evident that the promise is worthless. In addition, both the Green and Bins areas would then be a high risk of acquisition particularly give the Community Hall will have been converted to a commercial site as viewed by local residents.

The Trust goes on to state: ‘All trustees remain fully committed to the future of Newby and Scalby Community Hall Trust and to ensuring that the proceeds of the sale continue to benefit local people for many years to come. ‘. This appears illogical to us. This is why.

First, how can the Newby and Scalby Community Hall Trust maintain their name if they have sold the Hall?

Second, given the Trustees years-long absence of communications or engagement in consultations, including the Open Meeting to discuss their activities on 11 June 2026 and to which they were invited via press coverage and email/other methods, how would they deal with the trust gap that now exists between them and the Newby and Scalby Community?

Third, the point that ‘While the Hall building is entering a new chapter, the charity itself is not coming to an end.’ Given their admitted inability to raise further money, if cash from the sale proceeds were to go to benefit local people and the Charity is having difficulty raising funds, then at some point, having lost the Hall to the Community, we consider the Charity itself would also be lost.

Fourth, and most importantly, given the years-long absence of communications or engagement in consultations, the creation of the new Newby & Scalby Community Hall Trust Charity aimed apparently at selling off the Community Hall and then ‘Makes Grants To Organisations’ raise considerable concerns as to which organisations and their purposes will qualify, how they might benefit the Newby and Scalby Community, what the Grant policy would look like, and how any applications will be decided upon. None of these have been seen, and they are not confidential documents.

Finally, given the long list of seemingly cut and paste governance policies also available from many other Charity websites, present on the Trust Mem & Arts documentation, none of which reference a Trust Grant Policy/statement, and given after 13 months of operation the Trust is not recognised for Gift Aid, how many of these, if any at all, have actually been written and agreed by Trustees? (We also note that the Government says ‘Charities not registering for Gift Aid may be delayed or skipped if the organisation has little use for Gift Aid income. (Our emphasis.)’)

Willing, qualified, and able Trustees have notified us they are willing to take over the Charity tomorrow, community cash for investment is available.  There are meetings and discussions taking place now about scheduling activities and events for 2026,  As soon as we are advised the Trust has cancelled the sale of the hall, SNSHSG will announce our new Trustees and plans.

Save Newby & Scalby Hall Steering Group call on the current Trustees of the Newby & Scalby Community Hall Trust to:

• resign immediately on the grounds of lack of trust and concerns about governance
• be replaced with people who have the requisite skills and enthusiasm to run the community hall for the benefit of the community

Mark Whitelegg, Press Officer

Save Newby & Scalby Hall Steering Group (SNSHSG)

Ph: +44 7733 313002

E: hello@savenewbyandscalbyhall.org

W: www.savenewbyandscalbyhall.org 

Note to Press

SNSHSG are aware of and thank Wilson’s Food Hall for their lunchtime 15 June statement of process as advised by CPH Estate Agents.  We point out that was is the Trustees responsibility to inform the Community. We also note our concern Wilson’s invested time and expense in preparing what we know would have been a highly professional bid.  Planning pre-application costs and consultations are not cheap and Wilson’s are a professional and popular business.  We comment that Wilson’s may wish to query whether the tender they responded to fairly represented the business offer at hand with CPH Estate Agents and others. 

We wish Wilson’s every success for the future. 

References:

1. New Chapter for Newby and Scalby Community Hall by Newby and Scalby Community Hall Trust – source NSCHT

1. Informal Tender Process

Under the Charities Act 2011, charity trustees have an absolute fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of their charity and secure the "best terms reasonably obtainable" when disposing of land. Selling at a 55% discount from a recent valuation requires careful navigation. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sales-leases-transfers-or-mortgages-what-trustees-need-to-know-about-disposing-of-charity-land-cc28/selling-leasing-or-otherwise-disposing-of-charity-land-in-england-and-wales#:~:text=Unless%20the%20disposal%20falls%20into,Requirements%20vary%20depending%20on%3A

1. Land Registry Title value of £675,000

See Title number NYK517600. 

1. Charity Commission Assessment Team Intervention

Charity Commission Intervention 11 May 2026

1. Charity Commission guidance on Grants

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-grants-to-charities-and-other-organisations

The Charity Commission is highly specific about the entire grants process, and in the setting of grant Ts & Cs. As there is no available evidence the Trust have written the other policies their Mem & Arts claim they have, and the one on grants is missing, after 13 months, can the Trust produce any of them?

1. Village Halls and Community Buildings Grant Programme 2024 (21 Village Halls won between £18,000 and £50,000)

https://yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk/project/village-halls-community-buildings-programme/

Save Newby & Scalby Hall Steering Group

Dedicated to ensuring the Newby & Scalby Hall stays within the Newby and Scalby Community as a vibrant, innovative, and active Community Hub, The Newby & Scalby Hall Steering Group are Mark Whitelegg, Press Officer, Daryl Whitelegge, Treasurer, Fiona Mullane, Secretary, Stuart… and Chris Clark, Campaigns Facilitation Service, Make Public (working pro bono).

Campaign Objectives

1. to prevent a sale of the hall, car park and recreation ground to ensure that it is all retained in community ownership via a charitable trust
2. ⁠to remove and replace the current trustees with people who have the requisite skills and enthusiasm to run the community hall for the benefit of the community
3. ⁠to ensure that the land is registered as designated land” with restrictive covenants placed on the title to ensure guaranteed future use as a community hall, run not for profit
4. ⁠the ultimate aim is to run a successful, welcoming, community space which will be of value to the local community and others.

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