It was an ordinary day for the staff of Mecca Bingo in London. They were getting ready to call the bingo numbers for the paying crowds until they were served with shocking documents. The bingo hall in Eltham Hill is at the centre of a quite frankly extraordinary bust-up and it has taken place on social media!
You should never air your dirty linen in public, but Mecca is having to shout loud to get their message across a message of determination not to bow to pressure from Greenwich Council who have ear-marked the building for possible development.
Clive Efford, the Labour MP for Eltham took to Twitter on Sunday to express his dissatisfaction on how unnamed individuals have been adding fuel to the development planners fire by claiming the bingo hall is going to close and it later transpired that his Conservative opponent, Louie French, has been campaigning to close the doors of Mecca and open them for something more favourable (for them) - development.
Underused? More Like Miss-Understood!
In the summer, Greenwich Council identified the site for possible redevelopment after stating in proposals: “(the) underused site on the edge of Eltham town centre, currently in use by Mecca Bingo. Redevelopment presents an opportunity to enhance the townscape while making more efficient use of this accessible edge of town centre site.” But planning has not yet been adopted and it is yet to reach the final round of consultation and this is not due until 2020.
Efford tweeted: “I have spoken to Rank, which owns Mecca Bingo. They’ve told me the Eltham Bingo is one of their most popular bingo and it is not closing. Those claiming that it is being closed are acting irresponsibly and should show more care for the employees people who enjoy the bingo.”
It was like a game of tennis on Twitter between with who said what and when before local Conservative councillors replied stating that the landowner had been contacted last week regarding development plans and that neighbours were also invited to an exhibition next year to view proposals.
But is it signed, sealed and delivered? National Operations Director says on the merry mess: “Mecca Eltham is an important club for us and the team is a key part of the local community. We are aware of the speculation, but we have a great team of colleagues and we are determined to carry on delivering great bingo experiences to our fantastic customers in Eltham.”
The operator is ‘determined’ to continue operating and will not be drawn into a General Election row.
Source: “Mecca Bingo ‘determined’ to stay in Eltham after election row”. 853. November 5, 2019.
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Comments (1)
Bubles12
11/06/19, 08:11:54 AM
How sad for those people working there. One minute they have jobs and no worries and now, a month (or so) before Christmas they’re worried they may lose everything. What a dirty campaign from the Conservatives.
