A CHARITY has finally taken on a 25-year lease to run a Blackburn community centre after delays in being established.

Jamia Ghosia Association was awarded a contract to manage and operate Audley Sports and Community Centre in 2016 by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

The move followed the decision by the borough to transfer the management of several community centres because of government budget cuts and initially dismayed users when announced in June of that year.

The council had been considering closing the centre due to ongoing costs but decided to offer community groups the chance to take it over

JGA was one of several groups that applied to Blackburn with Darwen Council to take on the centre and was chosen following a lengthy process.

Now the association has been formally established as a charity, the council's director of environment and operations, Tony Watson, formally approved the long term lease.

He said: "Since 2017, the centre has been managed on a day to day basis on behalf of Jamia Ghosia Association by Audley Community Centre Limited which manages a team of volunteers and employs a small number of staff to ensure the centre operates for the benefit of the local community.

"There were delays in issuing the lease as the new charity which was being established on behalf of JGA to take on the lease was taking longer to establish than expected.

"In June 2018, the council received a written request from the operators of the centre to issue the lease to Audley Community Centre Limited.

"On September 18 2018, committee members of JGA contacted the council about the lease for the centre.

"The committee had intended that the lease should be granted to JGA and that JGA would have a management contract with Audley Community Centre Limited to operate Audley Sports and Community Centre on behalf of JGA.

"A meeting was arranged with the committee members of JGA and the operators of the centre and officers of the council.

"At this meeting, the parties agreed that Audley Community Centre Limited would assign the lease to Jamia Ghosia Association."

The association also manages the Jamia Ghosia Mosque in Chester Street.