South Leeds Youth Hub could soon be run by a community group after senior councillors gave the go ahead to start looking for local organisations to run it.
At yesterday’s meeting of Leeds City Council’s executive board, members agreed that officers could start the Community Asset Transfer process for the hub in Belle Isle from the council to a ‘not for private profit’ organisation.
As reported by South Leeds Life earlier this week, the South Leeds Youth Hub is run by Leeds City Council with a range of activities for young people.
It was built in 2008 with funding from the Big Lottery’s ‘MyPlace’ initiative. As part of the original application it was proposed to move the building to a ‘community ownership model’ as part of the future plans for the centre.
Consultation with key stakeholders, including children and young people has apparently indicated a high level of support for a community ownership model as a way to increase positive outcomes for young people through more flexible use of the Hub.
The council’s aim is to create a new civic enterprise which will enable the building to be used to its full potential, providing top facilities for young people while – crucially – increasing user numbers.
Councillor Judith Blake, Middleton Park councillor and executive member responsible for children’s services, said:
“This presents a unique opportunity for the right organisation to take on a fantastic building with state of the art facilities. We would be looking for an organisation that has the needs of children and young people at its heart, is keen to help up achieve our aim to be a Child Friendly City, and is able to offer a proposal which would see the Hub become fully self-sufficient and sustainable.
“Transferring the Hub to a community organisation would help maximise the existing excellent facilities and help even more children and young people from across the city benefit from what the Hub has to offer.”
