Council agrees to offload ‘essential’ Black Country community centre to charity in £1-a-year deal

Councillors have approved 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 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.

The trust will provide mental health sessions and after-school and holiday clubs for children.

The move comes after a different charity agreed to move into the community centre last year but the deal fell through.

The 4 Community Trust has until the end of the month to provide its plans to Sandwell Council - otherwise the building will be put up for sale.

Councillor Elen Fenton said Hurst Road Community Centre was a 'priority' in the Bristnall ward she represented.

At the cabinet meeting on July 17 she said: “It’s one of the very limited community spaces that are available and as such it is absolutely 100 per cent utilised.

“There was a lot of hope when [Sandwell Asian Family Support Service] took on the building but as you know there are a lot of difficulties that come with a building like that.”

Councillor Fenton said the centre was well-located for communities across several council wards including Abbey, Bristnall, Smethwick, Old Warley and Langley and asked what support would be available if the building was put on the open market instead of transferred to a community group or charity.

Councillor Peter Hughes said the council would 'definitely' meet with groups to 'discuss their needs and support the transition' if the building was put up for sale – but the council would always be 'seeking the best possible community use.'

He told the cabinet meeting: “We would do our best to try and find alternative methods of providing those services or providing an alternative venue.”

Councillor Hughes said the council would still have to get the 'best value' for the building if community groups were uninterested in a takeover – as the council could no longer afford to maintain it.

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.

The estimated value of the building is £500,000 with market rent currently standing at £5,600 a year according to a cabinet report. 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.

In the cabinet report, it said: “They have already been proactive in assessing the building and have proposed a five-year plan of building improvements for the centre”.

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 with a caveat that the organisations would be responsible for maintenance and repairs and no money would be available from the council.