Town council offers £30k grant to 'safeguard' Telford community centre

The Hub on the Hill opened in 2017 after Sutton Hill’s community centre faced closure and offers a range of community services, clubs and a café.

During a private session of Madeley Town Council’s monthly meeting in June the town clerk Alison Hinks presented a report to councillors.

This followed a meeting between the town council, community centre representatives and Telford & Wrekin Council about the "future" of the Hub on the Hill.

The management of Hub on the Hill is provided by the Sutton Hill Community Trust.

Minutes published following the meeting stated that councillors ‘unanimously resolved’ to instruct Telford & Wrekin Council’s audit department to carry out a "full audit of accounts to safeguard the future of the community centre".

Town councillors also agreed to offer the community centre a grant of £30,000 to cover expenditure "in the short term".

It was also resolved that the council would employ a centre manager for The Hub on the Hill who will "work closely with the existing town council staff, providing service continuity and shared resources".

Before a centre manager is appointed Madeley Town Council will offer admin support to the Sutton Hill Community Trust.

Madeley Town Council also agreed that they would help Sutton Hill Community Trust to appoint board members "from the local community".

The council will also work with the community trust to secure the extension to the lease for Severn Walk. The town council will also work with Telford & Wrekin Council and Sutton Hill Community Trust to secure external funding for building improvements

A spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council said: “Telford & Wrekin Council is working in partnership with Madeley Town Council to support Sutton Hill Community Trust, which runs Hub on the Hill, an important local community asset.

“Telford & Wrekin Council routinely provides a wide range of support to many local community and voluntary groups, including supporting organisations running community centres as a result of the current difficult financial situation.

“In this case, we are supporting by identifying opportunities for external funding for a range of building improvements at the Hub on the Hill, including to make it more energy efficient, and carrying out a routine audit to identify any potential improvements to processes and procedures.”