AN MP has joined the fight to save a Scout group after it was dramatically shut down.
Just 18 months after its new £270,000 hut was opened, the Mill Lane headquarters of the 1st Hurst Green Scout Group at Holland, Hurst Green, lies forlorn and padlocked. The group was closed down by the Scout Association last month after five of its leaders were dismissed, leading to membership numbers dwindling.
East Surrey MP Sam Gyimah branded the closure "appalling" and is pressing for a meeting with the national Chief Scout Commissioner to urge a rethink.
About 70 people attended a public meeting last Thursday at nearby St Agatha's Hall to voice their disapproval at the closure.
Alan Turrell, a former leader of the group, said: "I got a note through my letterbox from the district saying I had been suspended. No reason was given.
"I was arranging a summer camp in Dorset when it was cancelled by the leadership. The reasons for the cancellation included 'having too many leaders' and the fact that we hadn't filed a risk assessment for walking next to a river."
Paul Palma, a member of the group's executive committee, said: "Many of us are shocked by what has happened.
"People are standing up and fighting this now after having to tow the party line in the past."
Another Scout leader said: "We tried to make complaints within the organisation but were met by closed ranks and reams of regulations. The reasons for the dismissals are often shrouded in secrecy but have roots in the horrendous bureaucracy we face as leaders."
Mr Gyimah said he was very concerned at the "heavy-handed action" and lack of explanation.
He added: "The Scouts have been at the heart of the community in Hurst Green for almost 100 years."
But Scout Association spokesman Chris Foster said: "We never close down a Scout group without good reason. The safety and wellbeing of our youth members is vitally important and we require all our adults who volunteer to follow our rules laid out in our governing documents.
"We would welcome the opportunity to work with the community in Hurst Green to reopen a new Scout group there in the future. All young people who wish to carry on their Scouting are engaged with an adventurous, fun and challenging programme at the 1st Oxted (Chalkpit Lane) group. Anyone interested in supporting the development of Scouting should call 0845 300 1818."
