Yahoo News Sandwell Council offering community centre for £1 a year
A community centre is to be handed over to a charity for £1-a-year rent. Sandwell Council has revealed it plans to offer Hurst Road Community Centre in Oldbury to the 4 Community Trust for 99 years with rent set at just £1 a year.
The move comes after a different charity agreed to move into the community centre last year but the deal fell through. Sandwell Council says it has more than 130 ‘assets’ in its property portfolio, believed to be worth around £11m, that have now been deemed surplus to requirements. The authority is now looking to sell those off to meet a ‘savings target’ of more than £4m in the next two years.
The charity, which provides childcare and community support, said it will be making “significant investments” in the building – including new windows and repairing the roof – as well as building a children’s play area. According to a cabinet report, the estimated value of the building is £500,000 with market rent currently standing at £5,600 a year.
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The council said it would need to spend at least £245,000 on the building across the next 30 years. The building was described as in a ‘sound’ condition two years ago but would still need expensive window and heating upgrades.
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The council ended its help for the community centre in 2022 by cutting its £25,000-a-year grant to volunteers to help with running costs. The yearly cost to the council is currently £4,755. "They have already been proactive in assessing the building and have proposed a five-year plan of building improvements for the centre,” the cabinet report said.
“Services that they propose to deliver from the building a mental health drop-in, holiday activities for children, and after-school provision.” Sandwell Council said Hurst Road is one of three community centres that would benefit from “new management arrangements.”
The building was advertised to potential community groups last year with a caveat that the organisations would be responsible for maintenance and repairs and no money would be available from the council. Under an agreement last year, the community centre was supposed to be transferred to Sandwell Asian Family Services for the same £1-a-year rent but the charity later pulled out.
The 4 Community Trust will have to submit a business plan before the move is agreed and if the council is not satisfied with the plans, the building will likely be put on the open market. Sandwell Council’s cabinet meets in Oldbury on July 17.
