Sandwell Council offers a community center for £1 a year

A community center is to be let to a charity for a rent of £1 a year. Sandwell Council has revealed it plans to let Hurst Road Community Center in Oldbury 4 Community Trust for 99 years, with the rent set at just £1 a year.

The move comes after another charity agreed to move into the community center 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, which have now been deemed surplus to requirements. The authority is now looking to sell them to meet a “savings target” of more than £4m over the next two years.

The charity, which provides childcare and community support, said it would make “significant investment” in the building – including new windows and roof repairs – as well as building a children’s play area. According to a cabinet report, the assessed value of the building is £500,000, with the current market rent of £5,600 per annum.

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The council said it would have to spend at least £245,000 on the building over the next 30 years. The building was described as being in “healthy” condition two years ago, but would still need expensive upgrades to windows and heating.

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The council ended its aid to the community center in 2022 by cutting its £25,000-a-year volunteer grant to help with running costs. The annual cost to the council is currently £4,755. “They have already been proactive in evaluating the building and proposed a five-year building improvement plan for the center,” the cabinet report said.

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“The services I’m proposing to provide from the building is a mental health service, children’s holiday activities and after school services.” Sandwell Council said Hurst Road is one of three community centers which would benefit from “new management arrangements”.

The building was advertised to potential community groups last year with a caveat that the organizations would be responsible for maintenance and repairs and that no council money would be available. Under an agreement last year, the community center was due to be transferred to Sandwell Asian Family Services for the same rent of £1 a year, but the charity later pulled out.

4 The Community Trust will have to submit a business plan before the move can be agreed and if the council is not happy with the plans, the building is likely to be put on the open market. Sandwell Council’s cabinet meets in Oldbury on July 17.