Former youth centre set to be sold as plan backed

The Tamworth Youth Centre has been used by a table tennis club and radio station in recent years

A former youth centre is set to be sold as councillors backed plans to put funds from the sale towards other leisure facilities for young people locally.

More than 30 Staffordshire County Council-run youth centres closed in 2014, following cuts to youth services in the region.

The Tamworth Youth Centre in Spinning School Lane has remained in use by other tenants, such as a table tennis club and a radio station.

But a 2021 council committee report said the building was not being used by any groups for young people.

The county council's Charities and Trusts Committee previously backed plans to change the youth centre charity’s objectives to enable it to sell the building.

Proceeds from the sale would be used to provide grants to help fund other leisure and recreational facilities for those aged 25 and under in the borough.

At a recent meeting, the committee reaffirmed the decision to sell the building, with funds set to be used to create an annual grants programme.

Councillor Mark Winnington said the property was due to be sold because there were not "sufficient tenants."

"My concern is if we sell the building and a sum of money is derived from the sale, that money will then be put into trust to be used to increase the interest from that pot, what’s the mechanism of managing that money in terms of who benefits from it?," he asked.

The meeting was told the money would be invested and the income would then be spent every year.

It was also proposed the Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services (SCVYS) would manage the distribution of funds.