LJCC merger with JW3 on brink of collapse

An emergency board meeting of JW3 was called for Wednesday afternoon.

The board is thought to have been told that the sale of the LJCC’s home, Ivy House, would not realise the sums expected because of the large mortgage on the building.
According to a source close to the negotiations there has been friction over the attitude of JW3 towards the LJCC.

“JW3 seem to think this is a takeover rather than a merger,” the source said.

“LJCC is not some junior upstart that can be squashed out. Unless JW3 realises that it needs the LJCC as much as the LJCC needs JW3, this deal is dead.”

At Wednesday’s meeting the decision was taken to reject the new, increased financial terms demanded by the LJCC and, in effect, to cancel the merger.

The proposal for a new joint body had been widely welcomed, not least because of the feeling that it made little sense to have two community centres in close proximity, both competing for the same audience and charitable donations.