Council presses ahead with community centre takeover

Madeley Town Council is hoping to receive a community ownership grant from the Government to refurbish Hub on the Hill, formerly Sutton Hill Community Centre.

The Hub on the Hill opened in 2017 and offers a range of community services, clubs and a café.

During a confidential session last month councillors agreed to take over the running of the community centre on a ‘temporary basis’ until the outcome of their community ownership grant is known.

The town council will be working with Telford & Wrekin Council in completing their grant application.

The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million Government pot of money to support ‘treasured institutions whose future may be in doubt’.

Councillor Derek White said that The Hub on the Hill is in an ‘extremely bad state of repair, and that this has impacted on the local area’.

He added that the ownership grant is needed so that the building ‘is not lost’.

Councillor White added that the building’s regeneration would ‘put the heart back’ into the community.

Councillor Janice Jones added that residents needed to be told about the changes as some think that The Hub on the Hill is closing.

She added that since the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘many’ of the community activities organised at the centre have stopped and that local residents would help with re-establishing these.

It was highlighted by Councillor Stuart Cook that the council ‘needs to rebuild confidence’ of those in the local community and that they needed gain ideas from residents, especially young people.

Councillor Paul Watling said that the takeover is an opportunity for the town council to work more closely with the residents ‘to ensure that the provision provided from the centre is tailored to the needs of the local community’.

He added that despite the grant outcome the town council will be ‘providing a positive change’ for the local community by taking over the running of The Hub on the Hill.

It was suggested by councillor Kelly Middleton that it had been ‘proven’ in the past that money alone ‘will not solve the problems faced by The Hub on the Hill’.

She added that when the building is refurbished it will be able to offer better facilities to serve the local community.

Councillors agreed that the town council will accept the transfer of the Sutton Hill Community Trust assets and equipment.

They will also accept the transfer of an unspent grant from the Sutton Hill Community Trust bank to help towards the future running costs of The Hub on the Hill.

The town council will also transfer contracts for services run at the building and three employees.